


Family Means More Than Blood

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (onesided) Lord Voldemort/Harry Potter, Good Severus Snape, Severus Snape Has a Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 01:36:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 65
Words: 383,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16844509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A prophecy made in 1975 drastically changes the life of the boy who should have been known as Harry Potter.(This will include a one-sided LV/HP thing, one-sided on Voldemort's side of course. Severus is Harry's adoptive father.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

4th January 1985: Morning

He had to be quiet. No, not just quiet, completely silent. The smallest noise made now would completely ruin everything; he'd be caught and there would be no second chance. But then the door creaked horribly loudly as he opened it. He winced at the sound and held his breath, hoping against hope that the loud noise hadn't woken up the man in the bed ahead of him. For several seconds, nothing happened and he began to think that he had avoided the catastrophy of being caught but that thought was short lived when a bright silver light filled the room, surprising him greatly and almost making him drop the tray he held in his hands.

"Is there a reason why you're up at such an early hour?" A deep, and rather tired, voice came from over by the bed. Looking over in that direction, the young boy standing at the door saw that the man who had previously been sleeping in the bed was now sitting up and looking as if he was about to get out and rise to his feet.

"No, no don't get up!" The young boy protested quickly, taking a few steps further into the room. "I, uh, I made you breakfast."

The young man in the bed with lank, slightly greasy, shoulder length, black hair and a rather large, slightly hooked nose rose an eyebrow at the boy. "And to what do I owe such a treat?"

"Well, it'll be your birthday in five days but I'll be back at school by then so but I wanted to do something for you and since we're going to go and visit Uncle Lucius, Aunt Cissa and Draco later on, I thought today would be a good day..." The young boy got out in a rush beofore trailing off awkwardly, his eyes staring down at the tray in his hands. Shyly, he lifted his head slightly and looked across at the stern young man with his wide, bright, shockingly green eyes. "I'm sorry that I woke you, I meant to just leave it by your bed. I got a house-elf to putting a heating charm on it so it wouldn't get cold, I never meant to wake you up, I was going to let you sleep..."

"Haryon?" The man interrupted in a voice which, although stern, contained a degree of care and love which one would not naturally associate with a man who possessed such a naturally cold air.

"Yes Father?" The young boy, named Haryon or sometimes Harry depending on who was speaking to him, replied quietly.

"There is no need for you to apologise. Now, come over here." The young man instructed.

Harry instantly hurried forward as quickly as he could without upsetting anything which he carried on the tray. When he reached the bedside, his father gestured for him to place the tray down on the floor and, although he was confused as to why, he did as he was told and placed the tray down. Seconds after he was standing up straight again, he was abruptly grabbed under the armpits and hauled up onto the bed.

"Father!" Harry squealed through a giggle as he was lifted and brought down to sit in between the man's legs on the bed before the heavy duvet was pulled over both of their legs, up to their waists.

"You made quite a lot my little prince." His father told him playfully, bringing the tray floating up to them with a flick of his wand which he slept with under the pillow. "I don't believe I'll be able to eat it all myself; I imagine I'll need your help."

"But I made it for you to enjoy all for yourself Father." The young boy protested as the tray settled on their laps.

"But I wish to share it with my son and I'm older and bigger than you so you have to do as I say." His father insisted, giving Harry a close hug and pecking a kiss on his cheek.

"All right, I'll share with you, but only because you want me to." Harry conceeded, sounding reluctant despite the fact he went straight for the bowl of fruit salad which sat next to the small toast rack before he'd even finished speaking.

"Did a house-elf help you with the cooking as well?" His father inquired as he pulled a triangle of toast from the rack and began to butter it with one of the three knives wrapped with two forks in a napkin.

Harry nodded as he had a chunk of watermelon in his mouth at that moment. He took a couple more seconds to chew and then swallow the fruit before elaborating on his silent answer. "The house-elf did all the cooking for me but I did everything else. I cut all the fruit and I chose the jam; I got plum because I know it's your favourite." He explained proudly.

"My, you are getting to be a big boy, being able to do so much by yourself. Before you know it, you'll here in Hogwarts." The man mused finishing with his buttering and then moving onto the jam.

"I can't wait until I get to spend all year here with you, I always miss you so much during the school year." Harry sighed sadly, leaning back against his father's chest and turning his head to the side so his cheek was pressed against the soft black cotton of the man's pyjamas jacket.

"And I miss you too. But you enjoy yourself at school don't you?" He checked, putting down the toast and knife before wrapping his arms around his son and leaning down to rest his chin on top of his head, nestled in the mass of unruly black hair. It was a question he already knew the answer to, but he always liked to just check, just in case something had changed, just in case Harry wanted to leave his school because he was unhappy.

"Oh yes Father, you know I do." Harry quickly reassured. "I just...Miss you, is all. You don't have to worry though, I'm all right." He added quickly, not wanting to be a bother.

"As long as you're happy, that is all that matters." His father murmured into Harry's hair before dropping a brief kiss on top of his head.

Silence over took them then as they went about eating their breakfast.

4th January 1985: Afternoon

"Haryon? Haryon, hurry up, we're going to be late." Harry's father called across the corridor as he pulled on a pair of fur-lined, leather gloves.

"Ah, Severus my dear boy." A cheery voice came from behind him and the dark haired man had to consciously stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Off out to enjoy your last few days of freedom before the Spring Term starts?"

Severus turned to see Professor Dumbledore walking up behind him dressed in a set of bright, dark blue robes which had snow flakes falling down to the hem where they were gathering to create a thick layer. "Headmaster." He greeted rather stiffly. "I was just on my way with Haryon to spend the evening with the Malfoys."

"Oh yes, your early birthday celebrations. The house-elves were most eager to help young Harry this morning with his treat for you but he adamantly refused most of their help." The elderly man recalled fondly. "Such a wonderfully kind boy you have raised Severus. Such a boy as he does not deserve the past he has."

Severus visibly bristled at that comment and a dark glare found its way onto his face. He looked to be on the verge of speaking exactly what was on his mind but anything which was planned was forgotten with the echoing sound of running footsteps on stone quickly approached them. Both men turned in the direction the footsteps were coming from in time to see Harry skid around a corner hazardously, only just managing to stay upright. He quickly managed to get his balance back however and was soon charging towards them again.

"And here's young Harry now." Dumbledore smiled kindly at the approaching boy.

"You know better than to run in the corridors at such a speed Haryon." Severus scolded his son sternly, giving him an intense scowl. Harry immediately skidded to a stop upon hearing that and then continued on at a much calmer, sedate pace, his head hung sadly and his eyes fixed on his shoes.

"Come now Severus, he's a young boy, charging around the place at break-neck speeds is what they do." Dumbledore pointed out, looking down at Harry with a kind though slightly worried gaze.

"No Headmaster, Father's right, I shouldn't have been running like that, I might've caused an accident." Harry insisted as he came to a stop in front of both of the men, his head still bowed and his hands coming in front of himself to clasp together. "I'm sorry Father, I only wanted to catch up as quickly as possible. Christopher Luton held me back for a little while to talk and it would've been rude to..."

"Do not make such pointless excuses Haryon, it's unseemly." Severus interrupted and Harry instantly fell silent. "We've wasted enough time as it is. Do you have your gloves with you?"

"Yes Father." Harry confirmed quietly, pulling them out of the pocket of his thick cloak and pulling them on his hands quickly.

"Good, come then." His father said stiffly. He gave Dumbledore a small nod, noting the fact that the old man looked incredibly dis-heartened but choosing to ignore it. "Good day Headmaster." He bid before stalking off with long, swift strides.

"Good day Headmaster." Harry quickly repeated before scampering off after his father, walking as fast as he could without running. He could still feel Dumbledore's eyes on him even as he moved further away but he had no time to even think about it as he concentrated on catching up to the dark figure of his father.

Finally catching up to him, Harry fell into step beside Severus and then promptly tried to hide the fact that he was slightly out of breath and struggling to keep up with the swift pace. For several moments, the young boy struggled along without fuss and in a heavy silence, the only sound coming from their footsteps crunching on the snow beneath their feet. It wasn't until they were nearing the edge of the Apparation wards that Harry suddenly felt a hand cup the back of his head gently as the man next to him slowed down considerably. They both eventually slowed to a complete stop before his father got down on one knee so he was more his son's height.

"You know why you shouldn't run inside the school don't you?" Severus inquired gently, placing both of his hands on Harry's shoulders. He seemed completely unaware of the cold snow which must have not only been uncomfortably chilling but also rather damp.

"Because it's dangerous." Harry all but whispered, sounding incredibly ashamed of himself.

"Exactly, and I don't want to see you get hurt." The young man explained as he cupped the boy's cheek before pushing some of the dark haired behind his small ear.

"Im sorry Father." Harry whispered again.

"I know you are." Severus smiled gently, kissing his son's forehead before standing up again and taking the tiny gloved hand in his own large gloved one. "Now come, we'd best hurry if we're going to make it on time."

Harry said nothing but his face was now infinately more cheerful. They both walked at a much slower pace to suit Harry's smaller legs so it took several minutes for them to reach the edge of the Apparation wards. Now they were both calmer however, that was hardly an issue. When they did reach a suitable place, they each released the other's hand before Harry wordlessly held his arms out to his father. He was lifted up and settled on Severus' hip and after a few moments were taken to be shifted into a comfortable position, the stern Potions professor pulled his wand out of his cloak before casting the spell, causing them both to disappear with a sharp crack.

Mere seconds later, Severus and Harry were standing on the outskirts of the Apparation wards which surrounded Malfoy Manor. Harry was set down onto his feet and once Severus had put his wand away, they joined hands again and headed towards the huge mansion in the distance. The young boy allowed his eyes to travel all over the grounds of the Manor, every inch of covered in a thin layer of snow making it look like a scene from a Christmas card. It had been that way for a while now as they had just had a white Christmas so although the beauty of it all had not lost its appeal, the desire of playing in it had faded considerably.

Before too long, the father and son had arrived at the front door of the manor where a small house-elf was already waiting for them.

"Good afternoon Mister Professor Snape, Young Mister Snape." The small creature greeted them, bowing its head submissively as it opened the door a bit wider to allow them both in.

Severus acted as thought the small creature hadn't even spoken but Harry replied with a smile as he pulled off his gloves and started to try and unfasten his cloak. "Good afternoon Dobby, how are you?"

"Oh, Dobby is wonderful Young Mister Snape, even more wonderful now that you have humbled him with your kindness." The small house-elf gushed enthustiastically, quickly catching Severus' cloak as it was dropped to him carelessly. Harry simply gave Dobby another smile as he handed his own cloak and gloves to him, resting them on top of his father's gently. "Is there anything else Dobby can do for you Young Mister Snape."

"Inform your Master of our arrival and stoke a fire in the parlour for my son to warm himself by." Severus ordered harshly before Harry could even begin to try and say something.

"Yes Mister Professor Snape, of course, right away." Dobby answered before disappearing with their cloaks and gloves with a small pop.

"Insufferable creature." Snape muttured to himself as he straightened out the cuffs of his robes carefully.

The desire to defend the poor house-elf rose inside Harry but he remained silent, knowing better than to challenge his father on anything be it an opinion or an instruction of any kind. Luckily, Harry was soon distracted from his thoughts when swift footsteps on floorboards reached their ears. Simultaniously, the father and son both turned to look at the large, wide stair case and saw Lucius Malfoy heading down towards them.

"Severus, my friend." Lucius greeted the other man warmly as they met with a brief handshake. "And, of course, you Haryon." He added as his hand left his best friend's before he leaned down to Harry.

"Good afternoon Uncle Lucius." The young boy greeted his godfather with a happy smile, kissing his pale cheek and wrapping his arms around the man's neck in a small hug.

"Is that the voice of one of my favourite boys I hear?" A soft, female voice came from behind Harry and he released Lucius quickly, turning around to see his godmother Narcissa gliding towards them gracefully. "Yes it is and there's my Harry." The woman cooed gently, dropping to one knee and wrapping her arms around the dark haired boy's small body in a snug embrace. "How are you darling?" She asked with a bright smile, pulling back a little so she could look Harry in the face.

"I'm very well thank you Aunt Narcissa." He assured with a smile of his own.

"I'm very pleased to hear that." Narcissa replied, getting to her feet again but remaining stooped over slightly so she could whisper in her godson's ear. "Draco's upstairs in his room. Why don't you go and get him so we can all spend some time together in the parlour? I believe he's got something rather important to show you as well."

Harry's eyes lit up with curiosity upon hearing that and after looking to his father to make sure it was all right and getting confirmation that it was, he pulled away from the blonde woman and headed towards the stairs, making sure to keep his pace calm. He climbed the stairs as quickly as he could without rushing which was surprisingly fast for a seven year old. That considered, he soon reached the top and instantly turned to the right, in the direction he knew that Draco's bedroom was located. Upon reaching the door, he didn't bother to knock, instead simply allowing himself entrance.

"Draco?" He said into the room as he inched around the small crack he had opened in the door. He immediately spotted the blonde youth over at the furthest wall, his back towards him, obviously looking at something which his body blocked from Harry's view.

Upon hearing his name, Draco turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Oh good, you're here finally." He said by way of greeting, turning fully to face his best friend but not moving from his position in the slightest. "I've got something I have to show you." He added quickly, beckoning Harry over with a few almost frantic flaps of his right hand.

"I know, your mother mentioned it." Harry replied with a nod as he made his way over to the other boy.

"She didn't tell you what it was did she?" Draco asked suspciously with a slight frown.

"No, just said it was important." The dark haired boy reassured, reaching the blonde and stopping a foot or so away as he was instructed by a raised hand from his friend.

"Good." Draco said seriously. "You're the first one besides mother and father to see this. Zabini wanted to see but I told her that she couldn't before you had. I wanted you to be the first to see her."

"Her?" Harry echoed in confusion. Draco positively beamed at him as he stepped aside to reveal a pile of soft, black towels on top of his desk with a small, fluffy, pure white kitten curled up in the centre of them, obviously sound asleep. "Oh Draco, she's so cute!" The dark haired boy gushed quietly at the adorable sight, quickly stepping forward the last few steps. "Did your father buy her for you?"

"No, we found her in a cardboard box in an alleyway. She was all alone and mother heard her crying and so we went to have a look." Draco explained, smiling down fondly at the small ball of fluff.

Harry's face paled a little at that bit of information and his eyes widened a little, his mouth dropping ajar ever so slightly. For several seconds he could only stare down at the kitten before he abruptly realised that Draco was looking at him expectantly. "What?"

"I asked you what you think we should name her." Draco repeated his question with a small, concerned frown. "Are you all right? You look ill."

"I-I'm fine." Harry replied with a slightly forced smile.

"Are you sure? I could go and get your father." The blonde boy offered, still frowning lightly.

"I'm okay, really I am." Harry repeated himself.

"All right then. So, what do you think we should call her?" Draco asked again, instantly forgetting his worry and going back to looking down at the little cat.

Harry considered that question for a few brief seconds before replying: "How about Mia?" Draco wrinkled his nose critically. "Illyana?" The pale nose remained wrinkled. "Oh, I know, how about Elincia?"

Draco actually seemed to consider that and looked down at the cat thoughtfully. "Elincia Narcissa Malfoy." He murmured, testing the sound of the name out loud. "Yes, I think that sounds quite good. All right, that's what her name will be; Elincia Narcissa Malfoy." It was said as though it was an announcement, his tone sounding proud and final. Harry smiled but remained silent and for several moments, both boys simply looked down at the sleeping animal. "I need the toilet." Draco told the other boy suddenly, turning around, away from his new pet. "I'll be right back." And with that, he hurried out of the room, Harry watching him go until he was out of sight.

Upon turning back towards the newly named kitten, Harry spoke in barely a whisper so not to disturb her sleep. "Hello Elincia, my name's Haryon, but you can call me Harry, all my friends do." He paused as he got onto his knees, bringing his arms to fold on the edge of the desk and then resting his chin on top. "Draco told me that they found you all alone in an alleyway. You're like me there; my father told me he found me all alone in an alleyway too though that was in the middle of summer and I was wrapped in a blanket so I probably wasn't as cold as you were."

He paused once again and whether he was waiting for a reply from the animal or whether he was simply going through his throughts was unclear. He noted that from his new, closer position, he could see the gentle rise and fall of the kitten's stomach as she breathed in and out. He smiled slightly, for no apparant reason, though it was a sad, slightly wistful smile which looked far too mature to be on such a young face.

"They're such kind people: Father; Uncle Lucius; Aunt Narcissa and Draco. They've welcomed us into their family out of the goodness of their hearts, giving us everything we need without asking for anything in return. And that's why we have to be the very best we can be. We can't ever say or do anything that might make them regret keeping us, becuase although they say they love us and they probably do, they could so easily decide that we're not worth the trouble and simply leave us alone again. After all," Harry continued through a small sigh as he reached forward with one hand and gently ran his fingers over the warm, soft fur. "We've already been left behind by people who should of loved us; it could so easily happen with people who have no reason to love us."

As those quiet words left Harry's lips, the small eyes of the kitten opened slightly revealing bright pinky-red eyes. A happier smile spread itself across Harry's face at that and he stroked the fur beneath his hand with a little more force now that he didn't have to worry about waking the animal. The kitten didn't seem to mind. In fact, she arched into it slightly, obviously enjoying the attention.

"Harry!" Draco's voice suddenly called from somewhere outside the bedroom. "Your father wants us to go down to the parlour now. Bring Elincia with you."

"Come on then." Harry said to the kitten as he picked her up gently before setting off towards the open bedroom doors, adjusting her into a comfortable position as he went. "You can come and meet my father. He's a wonderful man, so much like Uncle Lucius only he looks a lot darker."

After Harry left the bedroom, he turned to head towards the stairs again and when he reached them, discovered that Draco was already standing there waiting for them. When Elincia saw Draco for herself when Harry had taken them a bit closer, she began to try and wiggle free of the dark haired boy's hold. Harry carefully put her down onto the floor and the kitten quickly dashed over to the blonde boy who bent down and scooped her up when she reached his feet.

"Why did you come to me ay?" Draco asked the cat, holding it up so he could look her in the eye. "You were fine being carried by Harry, you belong to him too after all."

"She probably prefers being around you; you were the one who found her and took her in after all." Harry reasoned, not sounding the least bit offended that Elincia seemed to like Draco more than him.

"Do you think that's the reason?" The blonde asked curiously, shifting the kitten into a better position in his arms as he and his best friend began to descend the staircase.

"Oh yes, of course." Harry confirmed confidently with a nod before his eyes caught sight of the dark figure of his father waiting for them both at the foot of the stairs. To most other people in the world, Severus Snape did not look inviting or even remotely approachable and would probably be someone you went out of your way to avoid. The dark haired boy felt his heart flutter slightly at the sight though and once again he smiled, mostly to himself. "We always love the ones who save us most of all."

4th January 1985: Evening

The family of five sitting in the quiet, dimly lit parlour made a most heart-warming sight. Draco lay across the two-seat sofa with his head resting against his mother's side, one of her arms curled around his body as she used her free hand to direct a needle with her wand to sow a design on a piece of white material which was stretched out in a small, circular sowing frame, hovering just above her lap magically. Burrowed into the curve of the blonde boy's body was the little white kitten Elincia, resting quietly and flicking the tip of her tail lazily every so often. On the other side of the room, Lucius sat opposite Severus and Harry, who was sitting on his father's lap, playing a game of chess while trying to teach the dark haired boy to play at the same time. Harry sat with his legs dangling over the side of Severus' right leg, his cheek resting against his warm, firm chest. A long arm clothed in black material held him securely around the waist and the boy fisted the clothing unconsciously as if afraid it would suddenly be gone in the blink of an eye.

"Bishop to A3." Lucius drawled easily, not taking his gaze off of the chess board. The last remaining black Bishop on the board moved backwards diagonally the correct amount of spaces before easily shattering one of the white Pawns which had previously occupied the square.

Severus remained silent for a few minutes afterwards as he considered his next move, his eyes also never leaving the sparsely occupied board. "Castle to C5." He murmured eventually, the sound vibrating through his chest, making Harry smile against him. All three watched the small castle move to the left, not needing to destroy anything as the space was free.

Lucius obviously already had his next move planned out because he opened his mouth to go to speak. However, the words never came, a small hiss of pain leaving him instead. Harry felt his father tense against him and he looked up to see that Severus was now looking at his godfather rather than the chessboard.

"Father?" He asked curiously, catching the attention of Draco and Narcissa as well.

"It seems the Dark Lord requires our presence tonight." Lucius sighed, sounding a little tired, as he scooted his chair out and got onto his feet.

Harry said no more and slid off of Severus' lap without having to be told despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to stop his father from going. Both Severus and Lucius were extremely loyal to this Dark Lord but, although Harry had never met him, he knew that the Dark Lord was not a man who deserved the loyalty of men as wonderful as his father and godfather. He had seen his father come home in the dead of night, barely able to keep upright and heading straight for his potions cabinet where he kept various bottles of substances which Harry was never supposed to touch. And the newspapers were always full of stories about the terrible things the man did and what he had his followers do. But both Severus and Lucius did whatever he said and it confused Harry; surely neither of the men would do anything wrong?

"Lucius, are you sure you should..." Narcissa began to say, pulling her sowing out of the air and shifting Draco off of her quickly so she could stand.

"There is hardly a choice." He interrupted her gently, sounding sympathetic though his tone still held a certain edge to it.

Harry watched as his godmother immediately stopped talking and gave a small, unsure nod. He was pulled away from his observation when he felt a large hand come down to his shoulder and he turned to his father's face hovering down at his height. "Don't try and stay awake for me." He told him sternly, though his black eyes were soft and his gaze was gentle.

"Yes Father." Harry agreed quietly, looking down at the floor as his father stood again and went to move away. Acting without even thinking, the young boy reached out quickly and caught the man's wrist to hold him back. Severus stopped accordingly and looked down at his son who was still staring down at the floor. "Father..." Harry began, lifting his head finally, his bright green eyes catching hold of dark black ones. His words caught in his throat and for a few seconds, which seemed to drag for eternity, he could say nothing. Then, what he really wanted to say left him abruptly as his confidence vanished. His head dropped again and he closed his eyes in despair. "See you soon." He whispered finally, letting his arms drop back to his side.

Harry didn't see his father's reaction but he felt a kiss being dropped onto the top of his head. It was gone in a second though and when he next looked up, both Severus and Lucius were gone. With a sigh, he turned to look at his best friend and godmother. His godmother was staring worriedly at where his godfather had just been standing, her right hand raised to her cover her mouth lightly. Draco seemed unaware of his mother's worry or of Harry's and was amusing himslf with Elincia instead.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Harry moved Narcissa's side and reached up to hold her hand, not looking at her but joining her in staring at the empty space just in front of them. He felt her squeeze his hand in acknowledgement but other than that he got no sign that she was aware of anything except herself and her own thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

6th January 1985: Morning

Harry quickly blew out long, soft breaths onto the piece of parchment on the desk in his father's bedroom to dry the dark green ink as he simultaneously tied a light blue cotton sash securely around his waist and over the heavy but simple white hooded robe he wore, all the time also trying to toe a brown boot onto his right foot as well. Underneath his robe he wore a light pair of blue cotton trousers, a slightly darker shade than that of his sash, with a matching cotton long-sleeved shirt which had a high, stiff collar, the edge of which rested just underneath his chin. It was his school uniform and it was to his school that he was currently in the process of getting ready to head off to.

The school was named the Saint Gwenifwar School for Havanist Youth. It was a religious school for the Elvish religion named Havanism. The only reason that Harry had originally attended the it was because it was the only boarding school his father could afford. Being a teacher, Severus could hardly afford a private tutor and he had no time to tutor his son himself. Lucius had offered to pay for Harry's education but Severus had declined the generous offer; he felt he had already imposed on the family's kindness enough during the first few years of his son's life and sending the young boy to boarding school would be for the best; Severus would not have to make time for him and could instead concentrate on his teaching and his students.

Now, two and a half years later, Harry was beyond happy that his father had insisted on being so stubborn. Despite the fact he missed his father and his family desperately while he was away, he loved his friends there, he loved the environment and he loved his religion. Religion was a rare thing in the Wizarding world, in fact he was the only student at his school who didn't have Elvish blood in him, and it confused the young boy greatly. If all religion was as wonderful as his, why didn't more people openly committ to one?

A sudden knock coming at the door in the sitting room came and Harry gave a small sigh of annoyance. Finished with his sash, he quickly yanked on his second boot before dashing out into the sitting room, over to the door which led out of his father's rooms. He opened it quickly, knowing exactly who it would be before dashing back into his father's bedroom without even properly greeting who it was who knocked.

"Almost ready Harry?" The voice of Professor Dumbledore came from the sitting room as Harry grabbed the letter he had just written from off of the desk.

"Yes Headmaster, I just have to leave this letter for father then tie my laces and then I'll be ready." The small boy called as he rested the piece of parchment on his father's pillow. It was a tradition he had as a way of saying goodbye to his father. The dark man would never actually say goodbye to him, instead avoiding him all morning until Harry left. Harry left a note on his father's pillow to say goodbye and to promise to come back soon. It was never mentioned between them and Harry never felt any desire to bring it up. True, he was confused as to why his father insisted he be sent away to boarding school when it was obvious the man hated to see him go, but he never questioned the older man on it; he would most likely not get a decent answer even if he did.

Satisfied with the placement of the letter, Harry hurried back out of the room, finding Professor Dumbledore standing near the door he had entered from, waiting patiently for him. The dark haired boy paused in the middle of the room and bent over to tie the laces of his boots with practiced speed. Soon, he had both boots securely fastened and he was back to standing up straight again. He moved swiftly over to Professor Dumbledore and gave him a small, breathless smile as he tried to catch his breath from hurrying around so much for so long.

"Done?" The old man checked cheerfully.

"Yes Headmaster." Harry confirmed politely, his smile becoming a little less breathless and more certain.

"Good, let's be off then." Dumbledore smiled, opening the door and ushering the young boy out with a gentle hand on his back, just below his neck.

The two wizards left the room in a companionable silence which remained as they continued on their way out of the school. As they moved through various corridors, several passing students, who had already returned from the Christmas break, called goodbye to Harry who would reply enthustiastically with a happy wave and a promise to see them again soon, in a few months. That continued all the way until he and Dumbledore were outside and had reached the wyvern-led carriage which had been sent to fly them to Saint Gwenifwar's. It all ended with a happy goodbye to Hagrid which involved a rather suffocating bear hug.

Harry was helped into the carriage by Hagrid once their goodbye had finished and Dumbledore quickly followed him in. The door shut automatically behind them and the moment they were both settled sufficiantly, the wyverns took off without instruction, trained to do a job such as this specifically so they could do it all on their own innitiative. Wyverns were smart creatures after all, much smarter than many people gave them credit for, and were the main transportation method of most Havanists as they were thought to be scared.

Bright green eyes watched out of the window as the ground beneath the carriage began to fall away as they rose, details below becoming gradually less clear. When even the sight of Hogwarts itself had faded, Harry pulled away from the window and shifted back into his seat properly, adjusting his robes when they bunched around him a little.

"Excited about going back to school Harry?" Dumbledore inquired a few seconds later, sounding nothing but curious.

Harry nodded enthustiastically. "Yes sir, I always like going back to school and seeing all my friends again and the Elvish world is so different from the Wizarding world. It's a nice change. Plus it's nice to be around people who believe the same things you do."

"Indeed it is. How are your studies coming along?"

"Quite well I think. I'm struggling a little in Elvish Language but everything else is going fine. High Priest Sephiran says I'm the most gifted Apprentice he's had in many years. He's surprised the Goddess didn't choose me to be one of her Warriors or a Mage as he thinks someone with my talent would be extremely powerful. Plus the fact I'm the only male Appretice to be chosen for the last couple of decades doesn't make it any more explainable." The young boy mused thoughtfully as he looked up at the ceiling of the carriage.

"Are you disappointed that you were chosen to become an Apprentice?" The Headmaster asked kindly.

"No, I'm glad that I'll become a Priest one day. Hurting other peolple, no matter what the situation...I don't think it's something I'd ever be able to do. The first thing you have to do when you're chosen to be an Apprentice is take the Vow of Pacifism." He explained as if the wise old man wouldn't know. "I can understand why not everyone can take it, societies need some form of defense after all, but I'm glad that I'm one who has taken it."

"You do realise that when you come to Hogwarts as a student, you will be required to take Defense Against the Dark Arts and learn how to defend yourself from an attack?" Dumbledore checked carefully, wanting to warn the mature young boy of his future.

"I know and I think the Great Lady will understand that it's something I have to learn. I won't have to actually attack anyone though, will I?" Harry asked slightly anxiously.

"Not anyone who is not expecting the attack or more than capable of defending themselves."

"I suppose that will be all right...I'll have to ask High Priest Sephiran about it. I shouldn't think there will be any problem with it. After all, High Priests and High Priestess' can use Calim(1) magic and swords for their own protection and the protection of those around them so there must be certain expceptions to the Vow of Pacifism." The dark haired boy reasoned, sounding as if he was partly to talking to himself.

"It is a sad fact that total pacifism can never truly exist." Dumbledore sighed sadly, looking down at his own lap. "A wise Muggle once said that it is an unfortunate fact that we can secure our peace only by preparing for war."

"Is that what the Dark Lord is doing?" Harry asked innocently, looking up at the older wizard beside him.

Dumbledore remained silent for several moments, thinking of a way to answer without hinting in the least of the knowledge he possessed and to also not frighten or worry Harry. Despite how mature the boy seemed, he was still only seven years old and he also had a father who was a loyal follower of the Dark Lord in question. Eventually, the headmaster turned to look at the boy beside him, looking serious and sombre. "We are the ones who are fighting to secure our peace, not Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" Harry repeated, testing the sound of the word in his own voice. "Is that his name?"

"Yes, that is what he is called by those who do not fear him."

"The papers just always call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." The boy remembered, sounding questioning despite the fact what he said was not a question of any sort.

"Because him and his followers have created a fear of the name to simply increase the fear they feel for him as a person." Dumbledore explained.

Harry looked a little lost at that comment and he turned his face away from the older wizard then, going back to look out of the window. After a short silence he spoke quietly, in barely above a whisper. "I think my father's afraid of him."

For some reason, be it the words themselves or the sad, resigned tone in which they were spoken, hearing that sent a wave of sadness and regret washing through Dumbledore. He said nothing in reply, there was nothing he could say. So they both remained silent for the remainder of the journey.

6th January 1985: Mid-day

The moment that the carriage touched down outside of Saint Gwenifwar's, Harry was on his feet and practically jumping out of the door. Dumbledore followed him out in a more sedate manner but seemed to enjoy seeing his young companion so enthustiastic about returning.

The actual school building was almost completely hidden from view as not only were the grounds surrounded completely by trees and shrubbery, the entire building was covered in vines of climbing ivy. Not a single patch of brick was visible and the dozens of bare windows were not enough to give the structure away. It was perfectly camouflaged. The building was three stories high; the bottom floor containing the Dining Hall, the Duelling Hall and a few classrooms; the first floor housed the rest of the classrooms and the teachers' rooms; the top floor was where the student dormatories and the bathroom facilities were. Comparred to the size of most schools, Saint Gwenifwar's was a very small building but it had a small population to fit it: around seventy pupils ranging from five to eleven years old and six teachers, including the headmaster.

Harry sucked in a deep breath of the clean, forest air as he looked around the small clearing which was hidden several metres away from the school. Knowing where to look and what to look for, he could easily spot where the school was through the gaps in between some of the trees and he felt a small swell of excitement at finally being back. It was while he was gazing over at the school, waiting for Professor Dumbledore to catch him up, that he noticed someone walking towards them. He turned his gaze onto the figure and quickly recognised it as one of his favourite people in the world.

"High Priest Sephiran!" He called excitedly, waving over to the approaching man.

High Priest Sephiran was a beautiful man who appeared to be in his late-thirties and it was him who was the Headmaster of Saint Gwenifwar's. He had long black hair, allowed to fall down his back completely loose, which actually touched the floor as, in keeping with the religious laws of Priests, he had not cut it since he had finished his apprenticeship and become a fully fledged Priest; at the sides of his head, his long, pointed ears just poked out from underneath the thick black curtain of hair. His skin was pale as was the skin of most Elves and his eyes were a gorgeous shade of dark, sparkling blue. Harry had never seen him wear anything but the robes of a High Priest: long, pure white robes, which appeared to be rather heavy though the man never seemed bothered by them, and that spilled out across the floor but never seemed to get dirty, the upper half loose fitting across his chest with long sleeves which flared out slightly at the cuffs and the collar was stiff and touching the base of his neck; a long, shimmering silver sash, which hung inches above the ground, was tied around his middle, emphasising his slim waist; around his shoulders was a heavy hooded cloak which was also white and had a lining of silver satin. His feet, on the rare occassions that they were spotted, were completely bare.

"Welcome back Young Haryon." The man greeted him with a smile, placing his hand on top of Harry's head gently when he reached the small boy. Harry bowed his head in reply to the religious gesture just as he was meant to and he didn't lift it again until the warm hand had moved to his shoulder. Looking up, he saw the gentle man smiling down at him. "I trust you had a pleasant Nirhy(2)?"

"Yes, thank you High Priest. How was yours?" Harry inquired politely though he was genuingly interested; that much was clear.

"It was quite enjoyable." The man revealed just before his eyes flickered up to look over the top of Harry. "Ah, Albus, it's good to see you again." He greeted Professor Dumbledore as the elderly wizard finally approached them, having held back to observe how the green eyed youth interacted with the other man.

"Indeed it is Sephiran." Dumbledore agreed, taking the Elf's hand in a warm shake. "Thank you for the invitation to join you this afternoon."

"You know each other?" Harry interrupted, forgetting his manners briefly. He quickly remembered them again however and blushed slightly at his rudeness. Neither man seemed to mind though and both continued to smile down at him in their own ways.

"Oh yes, Professor Dumbledore and I have been friends for a very long time." Sephiran answered, giving the wizard opposite him an amused look which implied that simple sentence held a hidden meaning to it, one that only the pair of them were aware of. "Haryon," the High Priest said, looking back down at his Apprentice, "why don't you go inside and get settled in again? The majority of the students have already returned."

Upon hearing that piece of information, Harry's eyes lit up and he instantly dashed off towards the school, eager to see his friends once again. As he rushed off, he missed seeing the smiles fade from the faces of the older men only to be replaced with expressions of concern and worry.

6th January 1985: Evening

Dinner had been served, a prayer of thanks had been spoken by all and now a low hum of chatter filled the Dining Hall which was filled with every student who attended the school as well as the six teachers who sat at the head of the hall on a long table which stretched from one wall to the other. Small circular tables, each surrounded by five or six children, filled the hall with just enough space seperating them all to allow easily movement in between each. The walls were just as outside, covered in hundreds of long vines of ivy. The ceiling was covered in glowing white flowers which effectively lit the hall, small orbs of light showering down from them but disappearing before they came anywhere near to touching any of the occupants below.

Harry sat at a table near to the left hand side of the hall with five other people: a girl his age with short silver-blonde hair and wearing the same robes as he was; another girl his age with long golden-blonde hair wearing robes which were similar but coloured black with a yellow sash around her waist; a boy his age with long jet black hair and wearing the same sort of robes as the golden-blonde haired girl; a boy who was a little older than all of them with short dark auburn hair and wearing a rusty red tunic over a long sleeved white shirt; and finally, one last boy with short golden-blonde hair who was also slightly older than most of them and also wearing a tunic over a long sleeved white shirt, though his tunic was a deep royal blue.

"Did your parents get you that pegasus you asked for, for Nirhy Serenity?" The silver-blonde haired girl asked the golden-blonde haired girl who sat opposite Harry.

"No, they got me a kitten instead." The girl, Serenity, muttered, sounding incredibly put out as she poked at the pile of spinach on her plate dejectedly.

"You didn't really expect mum and dad to buy you a pegasus at your age did you?" The older golden-haired boy asked, sounding amused with the concept. "You're seven years old..."

"Excuse me but I turned eight yesterday for your big fat information!" Serenity interrupted indignantly, scowling at the boy who was her older brother.

"That's still not old enough to own a pegasus." The long black haired boy contributed, his tone possessing a serious quality which was beyond his years.

"Oh what does a stupid half-breed like you know?" The girl spat out angrily.

"Serenity!" Her older brother scolded her instantly, frowning at her along with everyone else at the table except for the boy who the insult was directed at; he merely appeared uninterested. "Mum and dad have taught you better than that, now apologise to Rhys right now."

"Sorry Rhys." Serenity mumbled, sounding suitably ashamed of her little out-burst.

"Why apologise for for simply telling the truth?" Rhys asked neutrally.

"Oh Rhys, it's not true." Harry assured him, giving the sombre youth's shoulder a few comforting pats.

"Of course it is. My mother's a witch and my father is an elf, that makes me a half-breed." The black haired boy reasoned tonelessly.

"Can you not use that term please?" The silver-haired girl asked quietly, keeping her eyes on her dinner.

"If you wish." Rhys replied simply before taking a bite of his bread.

An uncomfortable quiet took over the table at that as none of the children knew what to say next. They all sat there awkwardly, except for Rhys, for several minutes before Harry cracked and semi-silence: "Draco got a kitten over Nirhy."

"A present from his parents?" The older, golden-blonde haired boy inquired, latching on to the conversation starter and continuing it in an attempt tp break the tension.

"No, they found the poor thing abandoned in an alleyway so they decided to take her in."

"A creature truly blessed by the Goddess then." The silver-blonde haired girl said with a smile before turning that smile on Harry. "Just like you Haryon."

Harry blushed at those words and looked down at the edge of the table shyly. "Don't be silly Marcia, I'm no more blessed than anyone else here."

The girl, who sat next to him, only smiled a little brighter and leaned in closer to him so she could whisper in his ear. "Anyone who has ever had the honour to speak to you would instantly realise that that's not true." And with that, she pulled away and turned her attention to the conversation which had started between the two older boys at their table, leaving Harry to ponder over her words.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Dinner had just ended and students were starting to filter out of the Dining Hall, heading towards their dorm rooms in order to prepare for bed. The group of friends at Harry's table had to split in their own directions so they could each go to their own rooms. Harry, Marcia and Rhys turned to the left once they left the hall, calling goodbyes to their other friends, who were turning left or carrying on straight ahead, as they went until they were all out of sight. It was only then that they turned around to walk down the corridor properly, talking about trivial things between the three of them.

They had not been walking for very long before a shout of someone calling "Wizard!" reached them. Each child recognised the voice immediately and all thought much the same thing:

"Oh no." Marcia groaned nervously, voicing the thoughts of her two friends.

"Just ignore him." Harry advised quietly as they continued to walk down the corridor.

However, several sets of running footsteps then rapidly approached them and seconds later a hand had grabbed Harry's arm and swung him around to face a slightly taller boy with shoulder-length brown hair who was their age wearing a gray tunic. Behind the boy were a couple of other boys, both wearing matching tunics and also slightly taller than Harry and his two friends. "Oi Wizard, I was calling you." The boy who had a hold of Harry's arm said in a nasty tone.

"I know you were." Harry revealed, looking at the other boy calmly.

"Then why didn't you stop?"

"Because I have no desire to talk to you; good night." Harry explained before trying to pull out of the boy's grasp. The grip on his arm only tightened though and he found himself unable to fully pull away. He turned to look back at the three boys, making sure to keep his expression calm and serene.

"Wait a minute Wizard, I've got something to ask you."

"Oh?" Harry asked, sounding un-interested.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you had fun celebrating, what do you Wizards call it? Christmas?" The boy sneered causing the two boys behind him to snicker, obviously finding this all terribly amusing.

"Why do you care?" Rhys interrupted, forcing himself in between Harry and the other boy, making sure the grip on Harry's arm was broken.

"Go away Elkwood, leave Haryon alone." Marcia insisted, sounding more than a little afraid and keeping very close to her two friends but looking determined not to be compeltely intimidated.

"Why should I leave him alone?" The boy, Elkwood, challenged with a frown. "He's the only Wizard here; if he wanted to blend in with everyone else then he should've stayed with his own kind. But then again, you must be a freak even amoung your own kind Snape: don't know where you were born or who your real parents are; you have an Elvish name(3) even though you're not one of us..."

"You know Haryon is named in honour of his late grandmother. For you to critisise such a practice is an insult to not only Haryon but his departed..." Rhys began to reply, sounding the most annoyed so far.

"...And your whole family's full of murdering scum."

"How dare you!" Rhys gasped angrily at that, starting forwards, towards the other boy.

"No Rhys, don't!" Harry cried as both he and Marcia grabbed onto an arm each in order to stop the boy from going any further.

"He's insulted both you and your family Haryon! You may be a pacifist but I'm not and I have nothing against casting a spell or two to teach him a lesson." The long haired boy replied in a hiss, trying to pull away and keeping his voice down so he could not be so easily heard by the three larger boys.

"He's not worth it." Harry insisted, pulling his friend back again. "He's just a bully," he told him in a lowered voice so the subject of his comment would not hear. "And our Great Lady creates bullies so that the strong may grow stronger. We don't have to sink to his level; we're better than that. He's stupid and he's only showing just how stupid he is by saying such things. We shouldn't hate him, we should feel sorry for him."

Rhys glared at Elkwood silently for several more moments before he relaxed his tensed muscles and took a step backwards. "I don't agree with the feeling sorry for him part but I'll admit that he's not worth the time." He conceded, loud enough for the three boys to hear him loud and clear, as he, Harry and Marcia turned to carry on down the corridor.

"What was that you dirty little half..." The boy started to yell after them.

"Master Elkwood!" The angry voice of a teacer suddenly came from behind them all and Harry and his two friends shared triumphant smiles as they continued the rest of the way to their dorm rooms in peace.

6th January 1985: Night

Darkness, all around. Somewhere cold; cold air, cold ground. Enclosed, not in bindings but within a circle of people; people wearing cloaks of black and masks on their faces. Pain, so much pain, crippling, unable to move. Fear, fear of the situation, fear of death, fear for family.

It was all confused, He couldn't make anything out properly. He knew who it was He was seeing but it didn't make sense. Was this a dream? Was He even asleep? He couldn't remember. He was too afraid; afraid of what all this meant, afraid of what would happen if what He was seeing was true.

Dejection, acceptance, reluctant fear which was stubbornly cast aside. An anger; intense anger and hatred directed to the owner of the voice who hissed viciously, "Veela blood makes you just as dirty as a mudblood."

Seconds dragged by like hours as muscles moved on their own. Hands left the floor, the back was straightened out. A beautiful face, though stained by dirt and blood, glared defiantly up at cold red snake-eyes which stared down in contempt. The point of a wand jabbed at the pale cheek, pressing in harshly, creating a deep indentation. And then the anticipation, the knowing of what was to come, the acceptance...

"Avada Kedavra!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Aunt Narcissa!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

26th January 1985

It was cold and rainy although it wasn't raining right at that moment. The sky looked gray because of all the rain clouds and made everything around look gray as well; even the grass looked duller than normal. Harry stood as close to his father as he could, his hand tightly clasped with the larger one, not wanting to let go for anything. Although his eyes felt heavy and puffy, the need to cry had passed now; there were no more tears to cry anymore.

Aunt Narcissa, his dear godmother, was dead, killed by Voldemort and today was the day of her funeral. It had been a small service, immediate family only; only himself, his father, Lucius and Draco remained behind now. It all felt so surreal for so many reasons. He would never see his godmother alive again, though at least he believed she was in a better place, a place where there was no pain and where she would be waiting for them all to join her again. Maybe that was why he no longer cried. What the worst part was though, the part that still haunted him and made him feel like he'd swallowed a frozen brick, was that he had seen Narcissa die and he had seen who had killed her.

The Dark Lord, Voldemort, he was supposed to be a great man. He had many followers, including members of Harry's own family. Why then, had he killed Narcissa, one of the people who were most loyal to him? And why had Harry seen it all in a dream? It had all felt too real to have just been a nightmare and the fact that the dream came to him a mere week or so before he was pulled out of school for mourning had to be more than just a coincidence. Harry wasn't sure whether he had seen it actually happen or it was a premonition and it was something that only made his head hurt and his heart ache when he thought about it. He hadn't told anyone about the dream; he didn't want to have to re-live it all again.

He had over-heard his father and godfather talking privately one evening, shortly after he had returned from school in order to mourn and attend the funeral. Lucius was distraught and no longer felt any loyalty towards the Dark Lord and neither did Severus. They were turning traitor and said something about spying for the Lightas well which Harry didn't understand. But he heard something else which confused and scared him; Voldemort was threatening to kill Draco as well. It was something about their blood; not Lucius', but Draco's and his mother's, that Voldemort didn't like and it was because of that dislike that he wanted them both dead. Lucius had said something though, made up an excuse for Draco and, for now at least, Harry's best friend would be safe.

It was all so confusing and frightening. Why would his beloved father support a person who would so viciously kill someone they all loved dearly? Were any of them safe anymore? Would Voldemort kill his father and godfather when he found out they weren't loyal to him now? And would Draco end up being killed as well? Would he be left alone again, because Voldemort had killed his entire family?

Green eyes flickered away from the grave of Narcissa Malfoy and glanced at the son and husband she left behind. Both looked emotionless, shut off, cold, as did his own father. None of them seemed to be able to cry and that only made Harry's heart ache more. As a single tear slipped from the corner of one of those green eyes, rain began to once again fall.

30th January 1985

Harry knelt on a large pillow by the small alter that he had set up in the middle of the sitting room of his father's quarters at Hogwarts. He still had a few more days of mourning left and, at that moment, he was performing his daily prayers as well as the Mourning Prayer which was customary to perform for at least a week, sometimes two, after the burial/cremation of the deceased. The alter was nothing more than a small table covered by a black cloth with a single, long and slim white candle in the centre. Harry's fingers were loosely laced together just in front of the small, flickering flame, his eyes were shut gently, his face was a picture of serenity though mostly hidden by the hood of his school robe, which doubled as his prayer robes, and his lips moved very slightly as he mouthed the words of the Mourning Prayer.

Unknown to the young boy, his strong faith had helped to ease his grief and he had made his peace with Narcissa's passing with much more ease than the rest of his family. Whereas he was sure his godmother was in a better place and often vented his feelings through his prayers, the others affected: Severus, Lucius and Draco, had no such comfort. They weren't discussing their feelings, they weren't venting their pain and they didn't believe that Narcissa was happier now. They just knew that she was gone and would not be coming back and, as far as they were concerned, they would never see her ever again.

As the last syllabal of his prayer left his lips, Harry opened his eyes slowly, taking in the small flickering flame of the candle. He remained in position and silent for a few more moments, in quiet reflection, before he pulled his fingers away from each other. Leaning forward, he blew the candle out with a small puff before getting to his feet carefully. He gentlypulled the hood down off of his head and picked up the candle before turning to go into his father's bedroom which he shared when he was staying at Hogwarts. However, he hadn't even taken a step forward when his gaze fell onto the dark figure of his father, dressed in his intimidating teaching robes, standing at the open door which led into the rooms.

"How long have you been standing there?" Harry inquired with a gentle curiosity.

"A few minutes; I didn't want to interrupt." Severus answered, his tone even emptier than it usually was.

"You wouldn't have disrupted me." The young boy assured with a smile as he went back to his original task of putting the candle back with the rest of the stuff in his trunk in his father's bedroom. "Do you have a free period right now? I don't remember you mentioning one." He mused as he came back into the room, heading over to Severus and taking off his heavy white robe as he moved, leaving him in the loose, pale blue cotton shirt and trousers.

"We're needed at Malfoy Manor." His father told him seriously, resting a large hand on his son's slim shoulder when the boy had reached him. "Draco's gone missing."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry shivered a little as he hurried across the fields at the back of Malfoy Manor, the cold January wind cutting through the thin material of his religious garb which he hadn't had the chance to change out of. He and Severus had arrived a mere few minutes ago and Lucius had all but pounced onto his father, looking the most distraught that Harry had even seen. The young boy had promptly made himself scarce, hoping that finally both his father and godfather would start to talk about their feelings and mourn properly. Meanwhile, he would take care of Draco, the real reason they were there.

Draco hadn't been seen since first thing that morning at breakfast. Apparently, he had tried to speak to Lucius about his mother but had been promptly been told to be quiet. That had obviously been the wrong thing to say because Draco had burst into tears and dashed out of the dining room. Thinking that his son would simply go to his room, the elder Malfoy thought nothing of it but upon checking the boy's room later on that morning to finally apologise, he had found it empty. The grounds had already been searched thouroughly by both Lucius and the house-elves and yet Draco still hadn't been found.Harry wasn't surprised by that though. He had a pretty good idea where his best friend was and until he had checked said place, he would stop himself from worrying too much.

For the first four years of his life, Harry and lived along with his father in Malfoy Manor with the Malfoys and so he knew the Manor and its surrounding grounds like the back of his hand. In fact, he probably knew the grounds better than anyone else because there was one place that he was sure that the adults and even the house-elves weren't aware yet he and Draco were. They liked to call it the Naughty Bush because it was the perfect hiding place to go to when either of them had done something wrong and didn't want to get punished; they'd just stay in there until their parents had calmed down and all had been forgiven and forgotten. It was a huge area of plants and trees and shrubbery which oddly had a hollow bit right in the middle which was just big enough for the two seven year olds to crawl in to and sit in comfortably. It was their space, just for them, and Harry was sure that's where he would find his best friend.

Reaching the forests near the end of the grounds where the hiding place was located, Harry allowed himself to slow down, partly because it was hard to get through the forest at the pace he was walking at before but mostly because his legs were getting tired. Another shiver ran through him as a chilly wind blew past him but he ignored it as best as he could, not hesitating in heading into the forest, glad that his boots were so thick and would protect him from all the stinging nettles which he knew practically blanketed the ground. He made sure to keep as quiet as he could so that if Draco made even the slightest sound, Harry would be able to pick up on it.

The plan worked out because minutes later the soft sound of crying reached Harry's ears. He picked up his pace as much as he could, almost having to wade through the thick greenery around him. Upon reaching the naturally made den, Harry searched out one of the two entrances, immediately getting onto his knees and crawling in once one was found. And, low and behold, there, near the edge of the small clear area, was Draco, his arms wrapped around his legs which he had held against his chest, his face hidden against the tops of his thighs. It didn't look or sound like he was crying anymore but his whole manner screamed despair.

"I thought this was where you'd be." Harry said with a small smile, his eyes gazing across at the huddled up boy sympathetically. "You're father's really worried about you. I'll go tell him where you are." He said as he started to crawl backwards, out the way he'd just come.

"She's not here anymore..." Draco suddenly murmured, his voice so quiet that Harry only just heard him.

The dark haired boy stopped instantly and paused a second before crawling into the space fully. He sat up on his knees and leaned forward slightly, closer to his friend. "What?"

"My mother's not here anymore." The blonde elaborated, his voice now tinged with tears.

"Oh Draco..."

"Whenever I got scared or lonely, my mother always hugged me." Draco continued tearfully, not raising his head and hugging his legs closer to his body. "And I'm so scared and so lonely right now...But my mother will never hug me again...Never..." Harry felt tears of sympathy fill his own eyes and his heart ached painfully. Without even thinking about it, he practically threw himself at his best friend, wrapping his arms around the other boy's shoulders in a tight embrace. "Why...Why are you hugging me Harry?" Hugging was something the boys didn't really do. They were close and they were best friends but they had never actually shared a hug before; the oppotunity had never risen really.

"Why? Because...I'm your friend, that's why! And I always will be...So, who says I shouldn't hug you?" The dark haired boy answered, burying his head in between his arm and Draco's neck.

"No...It's all right. I...I feel calmer now..." The blonde whispered, his tone still tearful but the actual tears had stopped. "Friendship like ours...That can't ever die, right?"

"Huh?" Harry asked as he pulled out of the hug a little, not understanding what his friend was talking about.

Draco's arms suddenly came around Harry's body in return, stopping him from pulling away any more than he already had. "I mean, you'll never leave me, will you?" The blonde boy checked a little desperately, staring up with pleading, bloodshot, gray eyes.

A gentle, caring smile graced Harry's face and he moved forwardto hold Draco again. Now that the other boy was holding him back, it was a lot more comfortable and they pressed their bodies together as much as possible, molding against each other pleasantly. "No, I won't ever leave you Draco, I'll stay by your side forever." Harry reassured affectionately.

"Forever? But...What about when we grow up and we marry other people. Will you still be there for me then?" The question came out in a small, fearful voice which seemed so totally alien to the usually aloof, self-assured boy.

"Yes Draco, I'll stay by your side forever; no matter what, you'll always have me even if you don't want me."

"I'll always want you Harry, I'll always want you here with me." Draco insisted seriously.

And with that, both boys fell silent, remaining locked in each others arms tightly. At one point, several minutes later, they both shifted to lay on their sides on the ground as their knees began to ache from supporting their weight for so long. They kept their arms around each other even as they adjusted their position despite it making everything a little more awkward. They soon found themselves comfortable again though. So comfortable in fact that Draco managed to doze off to sleep. Harry may have joined him if it weren't for the fact he was freezing cold.

It was hard to tell exactly how much time passed after that. It felt like an age to Harry but he wasn't exactly in a very pleasant situation. True, he was having a cuddle with someone he loved dearly and that was warm and soft and nice but everything else which surrounded him was so horrible that it took away from enjoying it completely. The right hand side of his body, the side which he was laying on, was so cold it was almost numb, almost being the key word as he wasn't numb enough to not feel the ache from the weight of his body which throbbed down his entire side. He found himself unable to stop his shivers most of the time as his body desperately tried to warm him up. And, as it had started raining, the occassional drop of freezing cold rain sometimes fell through the roof of leaves and hit a part of his body. He didn't have the heart to wake Draco and head back to the manor though; the poor boy looked like he hadn't slept in an age and if he could fall asleep in such a cold, uncomfortable place then he obviously needed the rest.

After the "age", Draco's eyelids slowly fluttered open as he woke up though whether he woke from the cold or whether he'd just had enough of sleeping was unclear. As the blonde started to wake, he woke up completely very quickly and his eyes immediately hardened on Harry. For a few, horrible seconds, the dark haired boy was afraid that his best friend was angry that he had continued their cuddle. Those fears were dismissed when the other boy spoke however: "You're freezing." It was an accusation more than anything else.

"I'm fine." Harry assured as he managed to successfully supress another shiver.

"Don't lie Harry, how can you notbe? You're wearing those stupid pyjamas-things and it's tipping down with rain!" Draco pointed out, pulling out of their embrace and sitting up. "C'mon." He ordered, getting onto his hands and knees and starting to crawl out of the space. "We need to get you inside and in front of the fire. We'll get a house-elf to get you some hot chocolate as well; I think we still have some of those little marshmallows you like left."

Harry obediently followed his best friend out of their little hide-out, accepting the hand he was offered to help him up onto his feet. He was a little startled by the other boy's sudden extreme change in mood but he put it down to having spoken about his feelings a little bit; Harry was a great believer in talking things through, whether it was grief or anger or anything else.

They found that it was actually raining a lot more heavily than they first anticipated, making it hard to see exactly where they were going. Nevertheless, they quickly took off in a sprint in an attempt to keep warm and get inside, in the dry, as soon as possible. At their pace, it was only a few minutes later when the two boys had reached the manor. They both practically threw themselves inside when they were able to and they were greeted with not only the sound of Lucius yelling but also of Severus. Harry once again found himself feeling sorry for the Malfoy's house-elves as Lucius' voice insulted them and Severus' voice called them useless for not keeping a better eye on either of them.

"Why are they so worried? How long were we?" Draco asked with a light frown, pulling off his soggy jumper.

Harry glanced around them and noticed the grandfather cloak in the parlour which was visible through the open doors which led into them. "A good two hours or so." He answered as he shivered glumly.

Draco noticed the shiver and quickly grabbed Harry hand, dragging him into the parlour. "Dobby! Miffy!" He yelled at the top of his voice, his two house-elves popping up immediately even before Harry had stopped wincing from the volume of the blonde's call; surely their fathers had heard it as well?

"Young Master Malfoy had returned with Young Mister Snape!" Dobby cried joyously.

"Two cups of hot chocolate, one with those little marshmallows and one without right now and I want the fire in the parlour lit immediately." Draco commanded easily, still dragging Harry into said parlour.

"Right away Young Master Malfoy." Dobby confirmed as he and the other house-elf disappeared to do as they were ordered.

"Thank you!" Harry called out after them.

"You don't need to thank them Harry." The blonde reminded primly, sounding so much like Lucius, as they entered the parlour just in time to meet both of their fathers who each looked rather frantic.

"Draco, where in Merlin's name were you?" Lucius gasped, rushing forward to his son and stopping just short of pulling him into his arms, settling instead on getting down on his knees and resting his hands on each of Draco's shoulders.

Harry watched the father and son interact happily. Both seemed much better than they had been before; he guessed that his father must have done much the same thing for Lucius as he had done for Draco. He wasn't in the least miffed with the fact that blonde man seemed to have settled on simply holding his son's shoulders instead of embracing him; Lucius was completely different from Severus when it came to raising a child, he wasn't good with physical affection whereas Severus seemed to thrive on it. Thinking on his father, Harry suddenly felt a cold hand on his already freezing and wetshoulder and he tilted his head up to see the dark man now standing beside him.

"Did it take you a while to find him?" Severus asked quietly.

"No, I found him rather quickly but he fell asleep and I didn't have the heart to wake him; he looked like he needed the rest." Harry explained, looking back to the two other occupants of the room who were still talking, probably for the first time in several days. "Did you and Uncle Lucius talk everything out?" He inquired, turning back to look up at his father.

"You think entirely too much of other people my dear boy." The stern man replied, easily evading the question though it didn't make any difference.

It was obvious by looking at both of the men that they had finally voiced their feeling and it was a huge weight from their shoulders. They weren't over it yet, none of them were, and it was very doubtful that any of them would ever truly get over it completely, but they were all feeling better than they had for a couple of weeks. Maybe now that the initial discussions had been had, the three emotionally closed off males would not be so reluctant to talk about it again. Severus and Lucius would comfort each other, Harry would comfort Draco and the Great Lady would comfort Harry.

"Come brat." Severus said affectionately, taking his son's hand in his own. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes and dry you off."

21st April 1985

Harry was once again back at Hogwarts, though this time it was due to much more happier circumstances. It was the period known to Havenists as The Moon of the Martyr and for the days of the full moon during April, the death of the saint Morcedai and his becoming of one of the Three Elders was celebrated. That basically meant about a week off of school for Harry. He'd already had two days; he had another four and a half days to go.

At that moment, he was laying on the floor of his father's sitting room feeling nothing but boredom. He didn't know what to do with himself, hence laying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling for the past several minutes. True, he did have homework to do but he had always been some what of a procrastinator when it came to anything but his prayers. He could've had a wander around the school but everyone would be in lessons at the moment and he was always very aware of the fact he was interrupting lessons when he occassionally went to wander at times like these. Dracoand Lucius were supposed to be coming to visit that afternoon but that was a couple of hours away and it was little consolation for how he felt right at that moment.

With a sigh, he rolled onto his stomach lazily, stretching himself out as he did so. However, when he tilted his head up slightly and his gaze swept over the rest of the room, he froze completely at the sight which confronted him. His breath caught in his throat and he scrambled up onto his knees hastily, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping in a cross between shock and amazement.

Over by the door which led into the bedroom was a figure that he never thought he'd ever see again for a life-time. It was Narcissa! It was his godmother, looking as alive and healthy as he'd ever seen her. She stood in flowing pale blue robes which he didn't recognise as being any that she had worn before, gone was the dirt and blood which had covered her face the last time he had seen her in his dream and she was back to her glowing beauty. Her expression was serene and calm and she stood remarkably still, almost like a statue, with her hands joined together in front of herself.

His mouth went dry and his knees felt shakey as he forced himself to stand up. This, seeing her like this, looking so whole, so like she used to be, this couldn't really be happening, right? Was she just an illusion? A figmant to his imagination? Or was she a ghost? She didn't look like a ghost, she just looked like a person, like himself, whole, fleshy, solid.

"A-aunt Narcissa?" Harry stammered quietly, taking a small step towards the woman. His godmother smiled at him but said nothing and remained completely still. "Are you...Are you real?" He managed to squeak, his voice unsure, as he stepped forward another few steps. This time, the beautiful blonde woman nodded her head, still smiling warmly.

Harry felt his heart swell with happiness and love as he took another few steps forward, the space between him and his godmother becoming ever smaller. Logic, common sense and anything else which might have made him stop and think about this situation had abandoned him as he drank in the sight of her greedily, remembering everything about her so well.

"Are you..." Harry swallowed back the tears which were suddenly threatening to spill from his eyes. "Are you happy?" Narcissa's smile brightened considerably at that and she nodded enthustiastically though she still managed to maintain her air of cool, effortless grace. "Then that's all that matters." He told her with a watery smile, holding back his tears stubbornly. He paused his steps now that he was only about a foot away and he tilted his head back to look up at her. "This is you saying goodbye, isn't it?" He don't know how he got to that conclusion; it was simply something which had suddenly occured to him.

The pale, silver-blonde haired woman's smile faded a bit a became a little sad as she nodded her head, her eyes shining with regret and heart ache. Harry took in a steadying breath and nodded too, in acceptance. It was illogical to expect the deceased woman to be around here from then on. She had confirmed that she was happy now and Harry believed with his entire being that she was in the best place possible, living side by side with countless other souls in perfect harmony in the Havanist equivilant of Heaven which they simply referred to as The Eternal Meadow.

"Say hello to the Great Lady for me." Harry said through a half sob/half laugh. Narcissa seemed to find the humour in that as well because her lips curved in amusement and a playful glint shined in her eyes. She nodded however. The young boy took in one more breath, sensing that the end of this farewell was fast approaching and then he'd have to wait a life time before he would be reunited with his godmother. "Bye Aunt 'Cissa." He whispered tearfully, using the pet name he used only on special occassions. That seemed to choke the woman up as tears filled her eyes and a silent sob escaped her before she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

Thinking nothing of it, Harry reached a hand out towards the crying woman, intending to rest a hand on her left hand, which was still at her side, in a gesture of comfort. However, when his hand met hers, instead of stopping and resting on top of warm flesh, his hand continued on through bitter coldness as if nothing was there. A sudden, nerve shattering sensation of complete wrongness abruptly washed over Harry and a terrible ringing began in his ears as his vision clouded and the energy seemed to leave his body like a flood-gate had been opened. One second, he was standing and the next he was slumped face down on the floor, once again completely alone, no sign of Narcissa remaining.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"...Ing wrong with Harry! Hurry!"

Harry slowly came back into consciousness to the sound of light, rushing footsteps and someone shaking him constantly. He felt horribly groggy and there was a dull ache right above his eyes but otherwise he was fine. The might be a bruise somewhere on his body in a day or so he thought absently though that idea quickly left him in favour of drawing his attention to whoever it was who was still shaking him and calling his name again and again.

"Stop it, I'm fine." He mumbled as he pushed himself up a little, his upper body lifting off of the ground.

"What happened?" Draco's voice asked fearfully as his arms came around Harry's shoulders and helped him to ease up a little more.

Before Harry could even start to think about formulating an answer, more footsteps, heavier this time, came rushing into the room and the dark haired boy didn't need to be facing the door to know who was there. "What happened?" His godfather's voice repeating his son's previous question.

"I...I..." Harry stammered unsurely, undecided about how to exactly answer that question.

As Draco's arms left him and the larger, stronger ones of Severus replaced them, the young boy thought through his options in the space of a few seconds. He could tell the truth but that may have the negative effect of rekindling hope/grief in them all and he didn't want that; there was also the issue of whether they would even believe him. Then there was the possibility of fibbing but he had always felt uncomfortable with lying, especially to his father. He wanted to cause as little bother as possible, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary worry for any of his family...

"I don't know what happened. I was just going to get a book to do some homework when I felt really dizzy..." Harry explained, going with the lying explanation; illness was easier to investigate and cure than visual hallusinations; none of them would ever believe he had actually seen and spoken with Narcissa.

"I'm taking you to see Poppy." Severus replied simply, heaving his son up into his arms easily.

"Oh no Father! There's no need, I'm fine now!" Harry tried to insist as he attempted to get out of his father's arms.

"You may feel fine now Harry but passing out is never a good sign; it's best to have it checked up on." Lucius replied gently as he and Draco swiftly followed Severus out of their rooms on the way to the Infirmary.

Harry bit back an exasperated sigh and allowed himself to relax in his father's arms. Why couldn't he have woken up just a couple of minutes earlier? Then Draco would never have found him and there wouldn't be all this fuss. He'd just have to make sure to be extra helpful and careful or his manners for the next few weeks. He truely believed that if he caused his family anymore worry, they would decide he wasn't worth the trouble and abandon him just like his birth parents had abandoned him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

9th December 1986- Morning

Consciousness seemed to hit Harry like a rock and his eyes flew open quickly, sleep suddenly seeming like a distant memory. He had just hadthe most curious dreams, one which, although it bore no relation to it, reminded him chillingly of almost a year ago when he had dreamt of Narcissa's death.

Breathing in a deep breath through his nose, Harry sat up and looked around his dorm room curiously. The other two boys he shared his room with were still asleep but there was light coming in from the windows in the small room so it couldn't have been too early. Luckily, it was a Saturday so there was no immediate panic about how late in the morning it could possibly be. Harry knew full well that he wasn't going to get back to sleep now so he decided it would be best to get a head start on everyone and have a wash and get dressed beforethey all started to get up too and hog the bathroom. He gathered his school uniform before heading out of the room and off to the bathroom, considering the dream which had woken him mere minutes ago.

Yes, it had reminded him of when he had dreamt of his godmother's deathonly because the dream had been another of those where it seemed so very real, almost as if it was happening and he was standing in a corner of a room watching it all take place. Thankfully, this dream hadn't been of anyone dying. It had shown him a rather strange scenario involving a girl that he recognised from being in the Fifth Year and another person who he had never seen properly as they had never been in sight enough for him to get a decent look. Anyway, in the dream, the girl and the other person had been having a friendly duel, nothing which was uncommon amoung the Warriors and occassionally the Mages in the school, and the girl had got a rather nasty blow to the back from a training sword which resulted in her landing awkwardly and breaking her wrist. It was an odd sort of dream and Harry had no idea why he had seen it. After all, he didn't know the girl personally, wasn't even aware of her name. Yet he had dreamt of her getting hurt.

If he wasn't as modest and humble as he was, he might have recognised the dream for what it really was.

9th December 1986- Afternoon

"I don't see why we all have to watch this." Marcia sighed dejectedly as she stared down at her fingers which were twiddling together in her lap.

Harry sat between his two friends, Marcia and Rhys, on one of the simple benches which surrounded the edges of the Duelling Hall. It was the last week of school before they all went home to celebate Nirhy, or in Harry's case Christmas as well, and, in keeping with the tradition of the season, the small school had gathered in the largish hall to watch the Warriors and Mages from the top two years take part in duels which were symbollic of the Battle of Nirhy in which Saint Nirhy lost her life and became one of the Three Elders along with the Great Lady gaining her divinity as well. The duels themselves were, of course, no contact and were kept within the year groups; the Sixth Years only duelled with other Sixth Years and the Seventh Years only duelled with the other Seventh Years. At the end of the day, there would be four winners, two from each year and two Mages and two Warriors.

Currently, there were two male Sixth Years duelling in the centre of the hall, one with a wooden training sword and the other with a wooden training staff. Every so often, a spattering of polite applause would come after a particularly well done move was performed by either boy. Everyone in the hall, students and teachers alike, seemed to be enjoying themselvesimmensely appart from Harry and his two friends. Harry himself found it all rather boring, Marcia found it disturbing and Rhys didn't seem to care enough to have an opinion, he merely sat reading one of his many spell books.

"Just because you're a pacifist doesn't mean everyone has to be." Rhys reminded quietly in his usual cold tone, his eyes never leaving the thick, dusty tome which rested in his lap.

"Well excuse me for not seeing the appeal of clobbering my fellow man with a stick." The silver-haired girl muttered, lifting her right hand so she could prop her head up in the palm of her hand.

"You'll have to do it one day." Harry reminded reasonably in a whisper. "When you carry on to study for becoming a High Priestess you'll have to learn how to use a sword and when I study for my High Priesthood I'll have to learn how to use Calim magic."

The girl wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I try not to think about that. Doesn't it bother you Haryon?"

"What? The thought of one day having to learn how to use a weapon?"

"Yeah, and, well, the thought that, one day, you'll be expected to fight someone, to break your vow."

"The vow isn't for total pacifism; you won't be breaking anything." Rhys pointed out suddenly.

"And we'll never be expected to fight, that's why we're members of the Priesthood rather than being Warriors or Mages. I've always just thought of it as needing a way to protect ourselves as we grow stronger so that we're not so much of a burden to others." Harry explained just as a loud applause filled the hall, signalling that the end of the duel had been reached.

The three friends joined in dutifully even though they had no idea who it was that had actually won as the two boys left the floor and the next pair stood. Harry suddenly froze mid-clap as a cold sensation of deja-vu washed through him. The two who were getting ready to duel next, one of them was the Fifth Year girl who Harry had seen in his dream that morning.

"Isn't she a Fifth Year?" Harry asked quickly, craning his head to try and get a better look.

"Master Largo believes she's the most talented warrior the school's seen in years and decided she should compete to test just how competant she is." Rhys explained, taking a quick glance at the girl merely to see who it was his friend was talking about.

"But...But she's only a Fifth Year! She can't possibly..." Harry protested, trailing off uselessly as he tried to make sense of the situation at the same time as the memory of his dream swirled around his head.

"Why do you care?" The long haired boy asked in a slightly sneering tone, raising an eyebrow and lifting his eyes from his book again.

"Don't be so callous Rhys!" Marcia scolded in a rare moment of confidence. "Haryon is simply showing concern for his fellow man as any decent human being, let alone an Apprentice to the Priesthood, should."

A retort from Rhys was offered but Harry ignored it, all his attention fixed firmly on the duel. He couldn't shake the foreboding feeling that something was going to happen. The way he felt was confusing. It was so much more than just anxiety because of the idea of the girl getting hurt; it was actual dread because he really, truly, honestly, expected it to happen. Only, having said that, he didn't expect it. It had only been a dream after all. Part of him, the logical and modest part, continued to insist over and over again that it had just been a dream while another part, a part he couldn't control or tell to go away was telling him that his dream was about to come true and he should stop the duel before it happened.

But then it did happen. A shocked gasp came from all sides of the room with the harsh crack of the training sword hitting the poor girl's back and then there was silence until her body landed on the crash mat heavily and a cry forced its way out of her mouth. Teachers were rushing towards the pained girl in seconds and the boy had already gone to aid her carefully. Shocked chatter began as soon as the girl had been helped to her feet and the fear of too serious damage having been done was over. It all washed over Harry though as he continued to stare at the spot where the girl had fallen.

His dream had come true, it had happened just like he had seen it...He couldn't believe it, it had to be a coincidence, surely it was nothing. The dream, the sense of deja-vu, the anticipation of it happening; all of it just had to be a coincidence. He couldn't have foreseen it. Someone like him couldn't be a Seer. Seers were great people, they were powerful, they were wise, they weren't abandoned by their families when they were only a few hours old.

"Haryon? Are you all right?" Marcia's worried voice broke through his thoughts as she gently rested a hand on his arm. "You've gone awfully pale."

Harry's jaw raised and lowered a couple of times silently before finally words started to come out as he forced himself to forget his shock. "I'm fine. It's just...It was just..." The dark haired boy shook his head a couple of times as he trailed off, unsure of how to explain exactly what he was feeling at that moment.

"I understand Haryon. Seeing someone hurt so badly is a very traumatic thing, especially for someone as pious and caring as you." The girl gushed, her tone full of awe and respect, as she stood up, taking Harry's arm as she did. "Come on, we'll go back to the common room and have some tea; it'll help soothe your nerves."

Still keeping his attention on where the accident had taken place, Harry didn't pass comment at his friend's embarrassing words or the fact that she was mothering him horribly. He allowed himself to be led along silently, his gaze eventually turning from the centre of the hall only to be caught by his headmaster, High Priest Sephiran. The handsome man's gaze seemed partly questioning and also partly knowing at the same time in a way which made Harry feel oddly bare and self-conscious. He didn't lower his gaze though, unsure of whether looking away would be taken with offence on the part of the older man.

However, after only a moment or so, it was the High Priest who looked away first as he turned his attention to another teacher who was talking to him. Harry never took his curious gaze off of Sephiran though, not until he really had to when he was pulled out of the hall and a wall cut of his line of sight; he had the distinct impression that the High Priest knew something about the dream and what had happened, he just wasn't sure why or how he felt that way.

18th December 1986: Afternoon

Harry smiled happily as walked down Diagon Alley swiftly, hand in hand with his father. It was rather cold out, there was no snow but it was certainly cold enough for it, but the dark haired boy was actually feeling rather over-heated. He had so mant layers of thick clothing on as well as a scarf, wooly hat and gloves and what with having to keep up with the long strides of the dark man at his side he was retaining his body heat just a little too well. It wasn't too bad though and he didn't want to make a fuss by pulling his hand from his father's in order to pull off his gloves so he just ignored it, enjoying the situation and the time he was spending with his guardian after several long months of seperation.

They weren't out to do anything exciting. The amount of mistletoe in Severus' personal potion stores had "mysteriously" dwindled at the beginning of the holiday period and the Potions professor wanted to replace them as soon as possible despite the fact he had no immediate use for them. Harry had noticed that the man was like that though; it was just one of those little oddities that some people had about strange, seemingly insignificant things.

As they approached the Apothecary where the man always got the incrediants for his own personal use, Harry noticed the Quidditch supply store where the latest model of broom was on proud display in the window. His eyes immediately latched onto it and remained on it for several more moments before he plucked up the courage to speak. "Father?"

"Hmm?" The reply came.

"Can I go look at the latest racing broom while you go to the Apothecary please?" He asked quickly, looking up at the man beside him. "I won't wander off, I promise, I'll just stay there until you come back out."

Severus glanced down at his son out of the corner of his eye, not moving his head in the least. He slowed them down as he considered it and upon noticing the pleading expression on the young boy's face, he knew there was no point in trying to convince himself that he could say no. "Very well but remember what I've told you before."

"Don't speak to any strangers and if anyone tries to do anything, scream bloody murder." Harry recalled previous warnings, smiling up gratefully.

"I don't remember quite phrasing it like that, but yes." His father said, sounding mildly amused. "I'll see you in a few minutes then."

"All right." Harry nodded just before his hand was released and he was allowed to scamper off over to the shop window.

When he reached the shop, he took a moment to glance over his shoulder to where his father had been standing just in time to see the man disappear through the door into the Apothecary store. He smiled to himself slightly, feeling proud that his father had enough trust in him to allow him this priviledge.

Turning to the shop window right in front of him, Harry immediately began to admire the latest model of broom which was on display. He really liked flying, it was probably his favourite hobby, and he quite liked to watch/play Quidditch though not half as much as Draco did and thanks to Lucius, he wasn't short on brooms. It was his godfather's self-made tradition that he bought Harry the latest model of broom on his birthday every year whether he needed a new broom or not. To himself, Harry thought that it was a bit wasteful but he was grateful for the gesture none-the-less and he cherished each and every broom he owned.

After a few minutes of ogling the broom, Harry glanced around himself curiously, merely to see who was milling about. It was rather crowded in Diagon Alley that morning though it wasn't really too surprising; with only a week left until Christmas day, there was probably more than a few wizards and witches who had some last minute gifts to buy. Harry didn't really understand why people put such things off until the very last minute. After all, neither his father or godfather left buying presents that late; he remembered quite clearly the year when he and Draco had been four and the blonde had excitedly shown him a treasure trove of gifts in his parents' room in the middle of September.

Harry was about to turn back to admire the broom in the window again when something, or more accurately someone caught his eye. Over to his right, a couple of feet away from him, was a little girl, probably about four or five, with long, dark reddish hair left to hang loose down her back, looking rather lost. She wasn't crying but she did look rather intimidated and unsure of herself and her surroundings. Her right hand was held over her mouth in a little fist and Harry felt a small pang of sympathy for her. Judging the distance between him and the girl as being not too far away and his father would still be able to see him if he came out to get him, he moved away from the store window and carefully approached the bemused looking girl.

"Excuse me?" He asked gently and the little girl looked up at him with wide, slightly panicked eyes. "Are you all right?"

"I-I can't find my mummy or daddy." The girl told him uncertainly, looking around herself quickly before looking back up at Harry with wide, chocolate brown eyes which sparkled with un-shed tears.

Harry felt a small swell of sympathy for the child's situation and he gave her an encouraging, hopeful smile. "When did you last see them?"

"Just a moment ago." The girl told him shyly. "My mummy was looking at the display in Madame Malkins while my daddy was talking to a friend of his. I saw a stray kitten and I only wanted to stroke it so I went over to it but it ran away and then when I looked back at Madame Malkins my mummy and daddy were gone..." She trailed off sadly, her voice filling with tears.

"Aww, no, don't cry, I'm sure they'll find you soon." Harry reassured quickly, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder and ducking down a bit so he was more her height. "And until they come, you can keep me company while I wait for my father, okay?" The girl nodded and gave a small sniff of agreement. "My name's Haryon." He introduced himself, his reassuring smile returning.

"I'm Violet." The little girl replied, giving a small, watery smile of her own.

"That's a pretty name." Harry complimented in order to calm the girl and make her forget her situation.

"My mummy gave it to me so that our names would match; she's named after a flower too." Violet told Harry enthustiastically, the tears suddenly gone in the blink of an eye. "Does your name mean anything?" She asked curiously, the technique of distracting her obviously working.

"Yes, it means "prince" in Elvish, my father gave me it in honour of my grandmother; her last name was Prince before she married my grandfather." Harry explained easily.

"Didn't your mummy get a say in what your name was going to be?"

Harry hesitated a moment, his smile fading slightly. However, he quickly forced himself to recover and his smile reappeared mere seconds later. "I've never had a mother; it's always just been me and my father."

"But I thought everyone had a mummy?" Violet mused with a slightly confused frown.

"Well, I suppose I do have a mother but I've never met her. She didn't want me you see so my father took me in." He told her, purposely simplifying the story.

"I bet my mummy would want you!" Violet gasped suddenly, sounding excited. ""Then you could be my big brother!"

"That's kind of you to offer Violet but I'm happy with my father." He assured her kindly.

"Are you sure? I can ask her when she comes and finds me." The little girl insisted.

"I'm sure, but thank you anyway."

"Violet!" A woman's voice suddenly interrupted and both Harry and the little girl turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. A pretty young woman with long, glossy red hairsimilar toViolet's and amazingly green eyes was hurrying up to them, looking rather frantic.

"Mummy!" Violet cried happily, rushing up to the woman and throwing herself into theher arms.

"Oh Violet, how could you wander off like that? It's not safe tofor you to goaround by yourself." The woman scolded lightly as she held her daughter tightly, cradling the back of the small head in one hand.

"No, no, it was all right, I had Haryon with me." Violet argued, pulling away from the embrace in order to go back to Harry and pull him further towards her mother. Upon seeing him, the woman's eyes widened and her face paled drastically as though she had seen a ghost. Although Harry noticed her reaction, he wasn't sure what to make of it so he simply ignored it, hoping it was nothing too important.

"It's nice to meet you." He said politely, holding out his hand for the woman to shake. That movement seemed to shake the woman out of her stupor and she reached forward slowly, not taking her shocked gaze off of him.

"I-I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" Violet's mother stammered.

"Haryon Snape." Harry answered which only seemed to confuse her more.

"Snape?" She echoed.

"Haryon?" The deep voice of his father came then, as if on cue. Harry and the two females turned to see Severus approaching them.

"Father." The young boy greeted the man with a soft smile. "Did you get the mistletoe?"

"It's being delivered." He answered in a monotone, not looking at his son in favour of staring at the woman with hard eyes. "Evans." He greeted her cooly.

"Lily!" Another call suddenly came and everyone once again turned to see who had spoken. A man with short, unruly black hair and glasses ran up to them, coming to stop by the woman's and Violet's side. "Oh thank goodness, you found her. I was getting worried." He panted, stooping over slightly with his hands on his hips as he tried to catch his breath.

"Why am I not surprised that you of all people Potter cannot even properly look after a child." Severus sneered and Harry's eyes widened slightly in surprise; Potter, he recognised that name from somewhere.

"Snape?" He asked, sounding distastefull. "What are you doing here?"

"Apparently my son saw fit to look after your daughter while you and your wife were off amusing yourselves." The dark man explained, his voice remaining cold and uninviting.

"You have a son?" Potter asked, sounding half disbelieving and half amused.

"I didn't even know you were married." Lily put in quickly, seeming suddenly more at ease, as she nudged her husband's side as a silent command for him to behave himself.

"I'm not." Severus told them stiffly.

"I'm adopted." Harry told them as he took hold of the man's large hand once again, making sure that his tone was strong and confident so that it conveyed his pride that his father had wanted him. That seemed to un-nerve Lily again and she paled once more.

"We have better things we could be doing rather than standing here talking to the likes of you." Severus said abruptly, drawing the meeting to a close as he went to pull Harry away.

However, before they had moved too far, Harry dropped his father's hand again and quickly stepped right up to James Potter. Before anyone quite knew what was happening, the dark haired boy had lifted his right leg and brought the heel of his foot crashing down into the man's foot with as much force as he could manage. It was obviously quite a lot of force because the man let out a slightly strangled cry and immediately fliched away from the harsh contact.

"That was for everything you've ever done to my father." He told him with a light frown before hurrying back to his father and taking his hand again. The two left the other family rather quickly then, Lily trying to calm down her enraged husband while Violet wasn't sure what to feel.

When Severus and his son were a short distance away and there was enough crowd between them and the other family, they slowled their pace drastically. Harry braced himself for the scolding that he was so sure was coming but, after a few moments, it still hadn't come. The young boy looked up at his father to see that usually sombre and stotic man's face alive with a small smirk and his black eyes shining with amusement.

"I have waited so many years to see something like that happen to James Potter." He told the boy with a slight, deep chuckle.

"I shouldn't have done it really." Harry sighed regretfully, dropping his gaze to the ground. "Technically, it was an act of violence out of anger..." He stopped talking when he felt a finger underneath his chin, tilting his face back up to look at the older man straight in the eyes.

"I think your Goddess would forgive you this one time if you asked her." Severus reassured his son with a small quirk of his lips which qualified as a smile for him. Harry found himself smiling back, spurred on by seeing his father unusually happy. He was rewarded with a kiss on the corner of his mouth before Severus straightened up again. "Come then brat." He said affectionately as he gave his son's arm a small pull. "You've stirred up quite enough fuss for one day; it's time we got back."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

23rd December 1986: Afternoon

"Merry Christmas!" Draco greeted Harry and Severus excitedly as they arrived through the front door ofMalfoy Manor.

"Merry Christmas." Harry replied a little more calmly as his best friend launched himself into his arms in a tight hug. "Merry Christmas Uncle Lucius." He greeted the tall, blonde man as he entered from a side door.

"Merry Christmas Haryon and a joyous Nirhy as well." Lucius returned the greeting, adding on the last part in repsect of his godson's religion. "Merry Christmas Severus." The man greeted his own best friend and they gave each other a warm hand shake. He looked around himself curiously. "Where are your things?"

"Dobby collected them as soon as we made it into the grounds." Severus answered as they released each others hands and he started to remove his scarf and cloak. "That house-elf is far too excitable for his own good, especially when he's around my son." With that he glanced over to Harry and Draco who were both taking off Harry's winter clothes.

"He's nice." Harry insisted, pulling his wooly hat off as Draco worked on the fastening of his cloak. "And he's a living creature; he deserves some repsect."

Lucius raised a slightly amused eyebrow at the dark haired man standing beside him. "A house-elf deserving respect?" He spoke in a low tone, meaning to not be over-heard by his son or godson. However, Harry had learnt long ago that sometimes eavesdropping on Lucius' and Severus' conversations was necessary in order to know just exactly what was going on in all of their lives.

"It's that blasted school he goes to." Severus grunted in his own defense. "They've filled his head with so much pacifism tripe that he'd pray for forgiveness if he so much as accidently stepped on an ant let alone purposely treat a house-elf like a servant."

"He'd never make a decent Death Eater then." Lucius mused with grim humour in his tone.

"And that is exactly why I haven't pulled him out. I rather he had clear, defined, though rather extreme views on what's right and wrong and remain safe rather than have mixed views and end up making the same mistakes as us." His father told the other man as Harry and Draco started on his shoes, Harry still keeping the better part of his concentration on the conversation.

"I wish I could turn the clock back and do the same for Draco." The blonde sighed regretfully.

"What do you tell him about the Dark Lord now?"

"I don't. I get the house-elves to keep him busy while we attend meetings and I never mention it anymore. He knows it's because of the Dark Lord that Narcissa is no longer with use and he knows why she's no longer with us...I don't know if he understands completely yet though."

"He will in time."

"Yes, I suppose."

"Do you know if he takes after his mother yet?" Severus inquired and that piqued Harry's interest.

"There are no signs yet, he's still too young really." Lucius answered making Harry feel completely unsatisfied.

"What will you do if he does?" Ooo, now that was more interesting again...

"Harry!" Draco said in a raised tone, jabbing the dark haired boy in the ribs sharply and also catching the attention of the two adults.

"Ow! What was that for?" Harry pouted, rubbing the sore spot which now pulsed just underneath his ribs.

"I've been trying to get your attention for ages now!" The blonde revealed, sounding very put out. "Why were you ignoring me?"

"Oh, erm, sorry, I was just, uh, I was just lost in thought I suppose." The dark haired boy said awkwardly, very aware that the two men in the entrance hall were now listening to them. He knew it was now very unlikely that they would continue their conversation as before so he had no reason to try and get out of the on-coming conversation with his best friend. "So what was it that you wanted?"

23rd December 1986: Night

Light brown hair, dark brown eyes, a black cloak. Intense fear, panic, desperation, helplessness...

It was dark and cold again, cold everywhere, and enclosed too, once again not with bindings but within a circle of people wearing the same black cloaks and the same masks on their faces making them all look the same; clones, each as unfeeling as the next. It wasn't as confused as before. He could make out exactly where He was; a stone room, looked a bit like a dungeon, and He knew for sure this time that He wasn't the one who was fearing for his life. No, that was the one who was in the centre of the man-made circle, surrounded by friends turned enemies. He may not have been in fear for his life but He was still afraid.

He could feel everything that the poor man, beaten and limp on the floor, could feel. All the emotions, all the desperation and regret and also an odd sort of ache which didn't quite hurt but it wasn't in the least bit comfortable either. There was a cruel, hissing voice talking but it sounded muffled, as though He was listening from under water, and He could only manage to catch the odd word or sentence here and there:

"...Traitor..."

"Did you think you'd get away with it?"

"Let this be a lesson to all of you who stand here..."

"...Not be disappointed again."

"Crucio!"

It was all so horrible and He could feel tears well up in His eyes in sympathy for poor man. He covered His mouth with His hand to stop a shuddered breath; He didn't think He was visible to the others in the room but He didn't want to take the chance. The other people. How could they just stand there as someone was being tortured so cruelly, both physically and mentally? Why did none of them help if only to stop the screaming?

The person speaking, the one with the hissing voice, stepped into His view, closer to the tortured man in the middle of the circle. The new person wore a loose black robe, much more flowing and a lot longer than anyone elses in the area but despite the robe, it was obvious that the body underneath was lithe but strong. There was no mask on the man's face; a face that looked remarkably snake-like, with two glowing, red eyes; He knew those eyes only too well.

The snake man looked down at the brown haired man with a disgusted expression on his face before he raised the wand in his right hand and aimed it down at the heap at his feet. However, there were a pause then as a different muffled voice came. Whatever he was saying wasn't doing any good as the red-eyed man just glared down at the person at his feet angrily. With a sharp motion of the left leg, the snake-man kicked the man on the floor in the face, right underneath the chin, and He winced from His position at the side at the sound of the sickening crunch of a broken bone.

More furious, hissed words from the snake-man which He couldn't quite make out. Then,his wand was aimed at the quivering man on the floor and two words rang out clearly; two words that He recognised with a gasped sob:

"Avada Kedavra!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry woke up with a slightly strangled sounding cry, his arms flailing around him as he wrestled with the heavy douvet which blanketed him. He looked around himself slightly wildly for a few moments as his sleep-addled mind tried to work out exactly where he was and what had happened. Once reality began to sink into him again, he released a relieved sigh and allowed himself to go limp, slumping back down heavily onto the mattress below him once again.

That had been a rather...Disturbing dream to say the least. At least he hadn't felt as if he knew that person, though those red eyes one of the men had were more than a little familiar. It had felt a lot like it did when he had dreamt of Narcissa's death. Did that mean that he had just watched someone die again? Or was it just a bad dream which simply felt really, really real? Because the fact he had dreamt of his godmother's death around the time it could have possibly happened was still just a coincidence, right? Of course, there was no other sensible explanation.

As Harry lay there, trying to calm himself down, he heard the gentle pattering of rain on glass and that helped to soothe him somewhat. But no matter how much he tried to stop himself from thinking about his dream and how hard he tried to keep himself calm though, he couldn't quite manage it. Memories of the dream swirled around his head and questions and possibilities wouldn't leave him alone. It was frustrating and horrible and all he wanted was to go back to sleep and forget.

Just then, the door to his bedroom, which was kept especially for him at Malfoy Manor, cracked open slightly and a head of blonde hair, which shined out even through the dark, poked around the side. "Harry?"

"Yeah?" Harry sighed, propping himself up on an elbow and leaning over to the lamp on the bedside table beside him. With just a small tap on the glass case, the flame inside suddenly flared to life, creating enough light next to him so that once his best friend had reached the bed and climbed up on it to lay beside him, Harry could see the other boy quite clearly.

"Are you all right? I heard you cry out." Draco whispered, shifting as close to Harry as he could and peering into his eyes, as if searching for something.

"Just a bad dream; I'm fine." Harry assured the blonde boy with a smile.

"Are you sure? I could go find your father if you want." He offered, obviously concerned.

"Really Draco, I'm fine." The dark haired boy insisted tiredly, flopping back down.

The blonde frowned lightly, rolling on top of his best friend and caging his head between his arms which he supported most of his weight on though his lower body was resting on top of Harry's, their legs tangling together comfortably. He looked down at the dark haired boy beneath him intently for a few seconds before giving a huff and easing his weight off of his arms and onto Harry, resting his head on the chest beneath him and curling his silk-covered arms around his waist. Harry released a small sigh and brought his right hand to rest on Draco's back while the other was thrown out to his side.

The number of hugs and cuddles that the two boys shared had spiked dramatically ever since that afternoon shortly after Narcissa's death, not that Harry was complaining; he quite liked his close relationship with his best friend. They now often greeted each other with open arms and having a bit of a cuddle at some point during the day had become a regular occurance. Sometimes they sat and cuddled, sometimes they lay down, like they were at that moment. Somtimes it was Draco who did the holding, sometimes it was Harry and sometimes they held each other. Neither of the boys saw any harm in the affection they showed each other now but their father's obviously felt different than they did.

It hadn't taken long for the two men to notice the new-found closeness of their two sons and, although they hadn't come straight out and forbidden them from doing it anymore, they had both taken turns to explain to their respective sons that showing such affection towards another person who wasn't married to you just wasn't done. Neither boy really understood why this was the case or what harm they were doing by enjoying the occassional cuddle with each other but Harry was more than willing to give it up if that was what his father really wanted him to do. Draco on the other hand was less than co-operative and had stubbornly ignored his father. He had persuaded Harry that they were doing nothing wrong but had compromised to being more discreet in the future. That was the reason they still hugged each other in greeting but left cuddles such as the one they were tangled up in at that moment to times when they knew they weren't going to be disturbed.

Harry was wonderfully warm and comfortable now and he felt his eyelids growing heavier by the second. He let out a small yawn, turning his head away from the direction his best friend's head was in. His head remained in that position even once the yawn was done and his eyes drifted shut, sleep once again coming to him. However, before he could fully fall asleep, Draco moving on his stomach woke him up once again.

"Hey Harry?"

"Hmm?" The dark haired boy mumbled sleepily, not bothering to open his eyes or move his head.

"I'm thirsty." Draco declared.

"That's nice." Harry mumbled, snuggling into his pillows a little more.

"Do you wanna come down to the kitchens and get some hot chocolate? It'll help take your mind off your nightmare as well."

"Do I actually have a choice?" The half asleep boy sighed, already knowing the answer.

"No."

"Didn't think so." Harry murmured as he opened his eyes before closing them again and rubbing them with his finger-tips. "Come on then." He agreed as he motioned for Draco to get off of him to allow him to get up. The blonde beamed a triumphant grin at him before rolling off and getting to his feet. The dark haired boy rose at a more leisurely pace, arching his back to stretch it before swinging his legs over the side of the bed so he could stand.

Side by side, the two boys headed out of the bedroom and down the corridor towards where the stairs were. They chatted about inconsequensial things such as Quidditch, whether it would snow this year and what they were going to do in the morning. The easy, happy conversation continued all the way across the corridor and down the stairs and it only stopped, for Harry at least, when they left the final step.

He heard it before he saw it; a sort of wailing, screeching, mournful cry which echoed off the bare floors and walls making it sound all the eerier. Then, the source of the noise made itself known and the breath caught in Harry's voice. It was a man, a man with light brown hair, dark brown eyes and dressed in the black cloak and he wasn't walking or running; he was flying. He looked just like the man Harry had seen in his dream a mere couple of dozen minutes ago and he looked just as alive and healthy as any person. In fact, if it weren't for the fact he was darting through the air like a bird, he would quite easily believe that it was a living, breathing person.

"Why have you stopped?" Draco asked curiously as he turned to look at his best friend from his position a couple of feet away.

Harry opened his mouth, intending to ask how Draco could not see the flying man who was racing towards them, but before any sound could leave his mouth, the man flew right through his chest. The horrible, cold feeling of wrongness ran through him and his ears instantly began to ring, his vision started to go dark and his whole body shook with the sudden effort it suddenly took to keep himsef standing. It wasn't as over-whelming as it had been when he'd tried to touch Narcissa that time a couple of years ago but it was far from easy to handle. He sagged forward suddenly and if it wasn't for the quick reflexes of Draco, he would have crumpled to the floor uselessly.

"Harry!" The blonde gasped worriedly as he grabbed his best friend around the waist.

Harry closed his eyes for a moment in an attempt to dispel the faintness which was making it hard to keep lucid. He tried to pull himself together enough to assure the other boy that he was fine but he couldn't quite get his voice box to work. After a few moments, just when he was starting to feel better, the sound of many footsteps on stone floor reached him and he felt the arms around him tense suddenly.

"Oh no..." Draco breathed fearly as he tightened his arms around Harry but he otherwise didn't move.

"What?" Harry managed to get out as he lifted his head to look where Draco was looking. Through slightly hazy vision, emerald green eyes locked with ruby red ones on the other side of the entrance hall. His blood froze as he immediately recognised who it was.

"The Dark Lord..." Draco whispered, sounding half awed and half terrified.

Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from the Dark Lord and, strangely enough, the man seemed to be in no rush to look away from him either. In fact, the man seemed to be studying him, as if trying to figure something out. Considering who it was doing the staring, it was incredibly un-nerving and Harry wished dearly to his Great Lady that the man would turn his gaze away.

"Draco?" Lucius' voice suddenly came and the two young boys turned to look at where the older Malfoy was entering the room as he pushed his hood down and took off his mask. In step with him was Severus who also removed his mask and pulled down his hood. Upon seeing the condition of his son, the ebony haired man moved towards them but was stopped abruptly by a long, black cloaked arm being held out in front of him.

Voldemort didn't even acknowledge Severus depsite the fact he had just stopped the man in his tracks. He continued to stare at Harry for a couple more seconds before he lowered his arm and started forward towards the two boys, his eyes never leaving the dark haired boy who was still struggling not to collapse. Upon reaching the boys, his gaze finally left Harry only to move to Draco for a brief time as he addressed him:

"Go to your father, boy." Voldemort ordered Draco in a hard, cool and calm voice. Draco's gaze flickered over to his father but he didn't move despite the fact his muscles were tense as if in preparation to move. The snake-like man standing above them didn't seem to know whether to be amused or annoyed at the defiance and in the end obviously decided to go with annoyance. "Go to your father, boy, before I make you go to him." He ordered once again, his tone taking on a slightly threatening quality to it.

It seemed to work because after another second's worth of hesitation, Draco carefully pulled his arms away from his best friend and hurried over to where his father and godfather were standing. He was immediately pulled against the older blonde; steady, reassuring hands coming down to rest on the small shoulders, a total contridiction to how the eldest Malfoy was actually feeling. He exchanged a discreet, nervous glance with Severus who stood beside him and the naturally pale man looked twice as pale as normal and seemed unable to take his eyes off of where the Dark Lord had his back to them all and was knelt down to his son's level, long, elegant fingers gripping the young boy's arms securely.

Harry wanted to pull away. He wanted to pull away and rush over to his father where he'd be safe and far away from this horrible, awful man. He was having enough trouble staying upright though, there was no way he'd be able to get out of the Dark Lord's grip and make it over to where his father was. Lifting his head, Harry looked up at the Dark Lord to find the older man with an oddly kind expression on his face.

"Hello there." Voldemort said in a low voice which was no doubt not heard by the Death Eaters on the other side of the entrance hall who were watching the interaction intensely. "Do you know who I am?"

Harry nodded carefully. "You're the Dark Lord."

"Yes, that's right." Voldemort confirmed gently, that kind expression still on his face. "You're Snape's son aren't you?" Harry nodded again. "What's your name?"

"Haryon."

"Ah, yes, a fitting name. You certainly posses the grace and beauty of an Elvish prince." Voldemort complimented causing a huge blush to cover Harry's face. "Tell me Haryon, what is it that's wrong? You're awfully pale and if I'm not mistaken, when I entered you seemed on the verge of passing out."

"Oh, it's nothing My Lord. Just a little dizzy spell, it'll soon pass." Harry answered easily, brushing off the concern as he did with everyone else.

"I see. Has it ever happened to you before?" The Dark Lord inquired, an odd sort of anticipation entering his tone.

"Yes, once, the afternoon that I said goodbye to Aunt Narcissa, a few months after she was murdered." The young boy answered honestly for once, his nerves preventing him from thinking of a suitable lie that that moment.

"You're Aunt Narcissa was murdered?" Harry nodded again. "How do you know that?" Once again the man's voice was filled with a very strange sense of anticipation, as if there was an expected answer which he wanted to hear.

"I saw it." The dark haired boy said in a slight monotone.

"Really? And did you see who it was that killed her?" A nod in confirmation from Harry. "Who was it?" Harry hesitated, afraid of what the consequences of telling the truth here could result in. "Haryon, who did you see kill your godmother?" Voldemort asked again, sounding a little less patient this time.

"It was you." Harry said quietly, not letting his eyes drop from those hard, red eyes which seemed to bore into his soul. "I saw you kill my Aunt Narcissa."

To Harry's great surprise, instead of being Avada Kedavra'd or at least tortured for that admission, he was rewarded with a broad smile/smirk/sneer from Voldemort. His red eyes lit up with a sort of triumphant happiness and his left hand, the hand which wasn't in sight of any of the Death Eaters, came up to cup the side of his cheek. It was a surprisingly soft hand though it was terribly cold.

"Excellent." The man whispered, leaning closer, and for one terrible second, Harry really thought that the monster ofa man was going to kiss him. However, almost as soon as that thought came into his head, the Dark Lord had risen, his hand leaving his cheek, and was walking away towards the front door. "Put your son to bed immediately Snape and give him a potion if he has trouble falling alseep. The rest of you are dismissed; you shall be called the next time I require your presences." And with that, the doors of the manor opened by themselves and Voldemort swept out gracefully, the doors closing behind him.

No one moved or spoke for several seconds after that, not sure what to make of what had just happened. It wasn't until Harry's shakey legs gave way beneath him and he slumped onto the floor that people began to suddenly come back to themselves. As Severus and Draco rushed to the dark haired boy's side, Lucius expelled the other Death Eaters from his property impatiently, not wanting any witnesses as his godson was fussed over and interrogated over what the Dark Lord had spoken to him about.

14th February 1987: Morning

"Did you know that Saint Valentine was actually Elvish?" Serenity told her friends in a pompous, knowing tone.

"No he wasn't." Rhys disagreed in a bored tone, not bothering to look up from the piece of toast he was buttering.

"Yes he was!" Serenity insisted loudly, drawing Harry's and Marcia's attention to the conversation.

"I thought Saint Valentine was Christian saint." Marcia mused.

"I didn't even know there was a Saint Valentine." Harry mused just as the doors to the Meeting Hall opened and one of the teachers entered with a large woven basket on four small wheels which was full to the top with letters.

"Oh good, the mail!" Marcia smiled excitedly as she clasped her hands together in front of her. "I wonder what my parents got me this year for Valentines."

"I'm expecting a gift from Stefan at home. He told me loved me over Nirhy you know." Serenity told them all proudly, refering to the boy she apparently going to marry when she was older.

"You've told us that already." Harry pointed out with a small grin.

"Several times." Rhys added.

"You're both just jealous because your boys and you're the ones who have to buy girls things rather than having nice things bought for you." Serenity accused. "And you're extra jealous Haryon because you send your family gifts for Valentines but you never get anything in return."

"Because Valentines is celebrated differently in the Wizarding world." Harry reminded easily, not in the least bothered by his friend's comment.

"Then why do you bother?" The girl asked rather rudely.

"Because I love my family and it's a nice way to show them. Besides, we always get the afternoon of the thirteenth off to make our chocolate; it'd be a shame to waste what I make." He justified. "And like you said, I'm a boy, I'm supposed toget other people things for Valentines Day. I don't mind if I don't get anything from my family and I'm not bothered by the fact I'll never get one from anyone else because I'm a boy."

"I'd make you a Valentines gift if you wanted one." Marcia mumbled shyly, her fingers twindling together nervously. Harry blushed intensely at that causing Rhys to shoot him an amused look which earned the sombre young boy a soft elbow in the ribs which wasn't really intended to hurt.

"Oh don't be so pathetic Marcia." Serenity sneered at the girl who was also blushing like a tomato.

"Morning you lot." The young teacher who was giving out the letters and packages greeted the four children as she reached their table.

"Good morning Sage Calil." They chorused together, Rhys actually putting in a bit of effort seeing as the woman was one of his teachers.

"Nice to see you all looking so happy and chipper this morning, especially you Rhys." The woman teased causing the young to blush ever so faintly. "Now, let's see what we've got for you all today..." She hummed as she searched through her basket. "I have a parcel for Marcia." She smiled, handing the silver-blonde haired girl a cuboid wrapped in plain brown paper. The girl took it excitedly but didn't open straight away. "I have another one for Rhys." With a grin a similar sized package to Marcia's was handed to the still blushing male Mage. "And I've got a nice big package for a Mister Haryon Snape, future High Priest extrodinaire."

"A package?" Harry echoed, confused.

"Yep." The easy-going teacher confrimed as she heaved a rather large box, just a little bigger than could comfortably fit in his arms, onto the table, being careful to avoid the plates of food already on there.

All four children stared at the box as though it was going to jump up and attack them silently for a second or two before Serenity broke the silence: " Don't you have anything for me Sage Calil?"

"Nope, sorry Serenity, nothing for you today." The teacher apologised cheerfully before moving off to the next table.

The golden-blonde haired girl gaped indignantly after the teacher for a minute or so after before turning back to the centre of the table and glaring at the centre piece angrily. "I am going to kill that lying git when I go home for The Moon of Matyr." She practically growled. However, she was gone mostly unnoticed by the other occupants of the table who were all still looking at Harry's package curiously.

"Why aren't you opening it?" Rhys inquired.

"Because I wasn't expecting it; I don't know who it's from." Harry answered, looking at the package unsurely.

"So? It's not like it's going to be anything dangerous. Who would try and hurt you?" Marcia asked quietly, blushing slightly again.

Harry took in a breath and tried not to think about the Dark Lord as he reached forward to untie the string which held the top of the package down. Ever since the incident on the night before Christmas Eve, Voldemort had apparently been taking a keen interest in him. He hadn't been told anything directly of course but he had done his fair share of eavesdropping on his father and godfather before he had left for school again. The snake-like man had been asking a lot of questions about him, general sort of stuff which one normally wouldn't think important, and although Severus was obviously extremely concerned about the sudden interest in his son, what could he do but answer the questions? He could hardly refuse after all.

The string was pulled loose and then away from the package completely before Harry rose from his seat a little so he could unfold the top. Inside, the box was full to the top of every kind of sweet imaginable. There were Every Flavour Beans, Mood Changing Lollipops, Liquorice Wands; there was easily hundreds of Galleons worth of sweets. And, resting on top of all that was a small, golden piece of parchment, neatly folded in half.

"Wow." Marcia gasped, her jaw dropping open, as she rose up a little to peer into the box.

"Are you sure you have no idea who sent this?" Rhys inquired, also having a look.

Harry took the note from the top and opened it. Unfolding it, he discovered a spidery scrawl written in shimmering emerald ink which read "To the Prince of Elves, with deep affection from the Prince of Slytherin on this Saint Valentines Day." He understood the meaning after a moment of considering it, remembering that he had once heard that Voldemort had been in Slytherin when he was a student at Hogwarts. Bearing in mind that he had already innately feared it would be from the Dark Lord, it was no real surprise but that still meant that it was totally unwanted.

"I can't accept this." He murmured mostly to himself.

"I'll take it then." Serenity volunteered, reaching for the box.

"No, you can't!" Harry said quickly as he pulled the box out of her reach.

"Why not? You don't want it so let me have it." The girl pouted with a light frown.

"You can't have it because I'm going to send it back." The dark haired boy explained as he closed the lid again and slid it off the table in order to set it down on the floor by his chair.

"So you do know who sent it?" Rhys checked.

"Yeah."

"Why are you sending it back then?" Marcia inquired curiously.

"I..." Harry hesitated, pausing in his lowering of the package, unsure how to explain it in a brief enough manner. "I don't think my father would approve of me getting a Valentines gift from anyone, let alone who it was who sent me this." He finally finished his sentence as he set the box on the floor, missing the glimpse he could have caught of the spy who was curled underneath the table, mere centimetres away from his feet.

14th February 1987: Night

"Ah, Nagini, you have returned finally. Tell me, how wasss my gift recccieved?"

"Well I believe my Lord. The young princcce took your gift withhh him when he and his companionsss left the table onccce they had finissshed their feeding. I did sssmell a cccertain amount of fear coming from him but I do not thhhink that isss sssuprissing?"

"No, I'm glad that he fearsss me. He will alwaysss fear me even when he isss sssure that I will never hurt him. You have done very well Nagini, you may go and ressst now my friend."

"Thank you Massster."

His eyes followed the large snake as it slithered away from the figure sitting on the throne-like chair in the dark, empty room before He moved his eyes back onto the man. Red eyes seemed to glow through the darkness as the man slouched down into his chair as a long fingered hand slipped inside his robes and travelling down. An intense blush covered His cheeks as He quickly looked away and shut His eyes for good measure, only too aware of what the man in front of Him was doing.

Before long, harsh pants echoed in the large, empty chamber and He was dismayed to discover that covering His ears did nothing to block out the sounds of pleasure: the gasped curse words; the rustling of material and the laboured breathing. He vividly remembered the time a year or so ago when He had accidently walked in on His father doing this exact same thing but although that had been embarrassing, it wasn't half as embarrassing as this. At least then He'd been able to leave the room as quickly as He'd entered and His father had been none the wiser. Now, He had no idea how He was supposed to get out of this place and He was stuck listening to...This.

The words coming from Voldemort's mouth were getting more and more crude and just as He was beginning to worry for his soul, everything seemed to reach a head. Voldemort's eyes were squeezed shut as his body arched off of the throne as he thrust his hips upwards several times in a row. He was still stubbornly looking away but when He heard the final chocked out word, His eyes seemed to open on their own though he didn't look up:

"Haryon!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry woke suddenly with a start and a sharp breath. He sat up quickly and looked around to see to his relief that he was still in his dorm room at Saint Gwenifwar's and there was no Voldemort in sight. It wasn't long before his racing heart began to slow and he allowed himself to relax. Rubbing his eyes, he lay back down and let his head lull to the side where his gaze fell to rest on the package he had received that morning.

No way in Hell was he keeping it now. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

3rd August 1987: Early Morning

A content, breathy sigh escaped Harry's lips as he curled around his pillow lazily, hovering between sleep and consciousness. He cuddled the cotton covered lump of feathers closer to himself and buried his face in it, breathing in the fresh clean scent which was a result of the spells that his father used to clean it.

If there was one material possession which the young Havanist loved above all else, it was his bed. Not the one at Saint Gwenifwar's or the one he shared with his father when he stayed at Hogwarts or the one he slept in when he stayed with Draco and his godfather, but his very own bed in his own home, a small cottage in a secluded area in the West of Wales. It was his bed and it smelt like his house and that's why he liked it. He had spent many a pleasant moment in it over the summer holidays of his life so far and despite the fact that he only slept in it for a couple of months out of the entire year, it was the only one which he really considered to be his. Hence it being his favourite.

In his lucid state, Harry rolled onto his stomach, the thin duvet which covered him bunching up around him slightly as he did so. He was so incredibly comfortable. He could quite easily lay there forever with no problems, no worries and no real thoughts...

...But then his bedroom was suddenly filled with light and the peace and comfort was ruined. Harry groaned as he woke up fully but didn't open his eyes. Instead, he squinted them shut a little more tightly and pulled the duvet up and over his head.

"Harry! Wake up!"

"Draco?" Harry yawned from underneath the covers. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"You've got to get up, right now." The blonde's voice insisted, the tone slightly panicked, as his hurried footsteps padded deeply on the thick carpeted floor before the sound of his wardrobe door opening came.

"Why?" The dark haired boy yawned, still not coming out from under the covers.

"You and your father, you both have to go to Hogwarts." The sound of rustling clothes and the scrape of leather which was probably the sound of his trunk being dragged out of the wardrobe.

"No Draco, it's only just turned August, school doesn't start for another month yet." Harry dismissed the claim, once again curling up, intending to simply go back to sleep. Seconds later though, the duvet was yanked away, exposing him to the room and the practically blinding light which filled the area. "Draco...!" He whined, curling into himself further and trying to bury his face between his arms.

"He's coming for you Harry!" The blonde boy told him in a deathly serious tone, his eyes wide and frantic.

"What?" Harry yawned again, finally opening his eyes and rubbing them before reaching over for his glasses which he had been needing to wear for a few months now.

"The Dark Lord, he's coming for you. My father's waking your father right now; we have to get you out of here, we don't know how long we've got." The other boy explained as he dashed back over to the wardrobe and began shoving Harry's clothes in the trunk.

"He's coming here?" Harry gasped as he got out of bed, now suddenly wide awake, his heart beginning to race with anxiety. He may have been young, only nine years old, but he was smart enough to have a good idea that Voldemort had an unhealthy interest in him. He'd had many other dreams after the one he'd had on Valentines night, each one a little clearer than the last and giving him a little more information. Voldemort wanted him for whatever reason and he was obviously coming for him very soon. "How do you know?"

"Father was given the order to keep you and your father here for the next day or so, to make sure that neither of you left, even for a second. Although he never said why, Father knows that it's you the Dark Lord wants." Draco explained as quickly as he could, still packing clothes.

"Won't your father get in trouble though?" The dark haired boy asked worriedly as hurried over to one of the corners in the room and pulled up where the carpet was loose, lifting up a floorboard afterwards to retrieve the rough, woven bag filled with his "treasures" that he kept there for safe-keeping.

"He's going to go back to the Dark Lord the moment you and your father are safely in Hogwarts and tell him that you were already gone when we got here." The blonde answered as he stuffed Harry's school uniform into the trunk.

"Hey, be careful with those!" He protested upon seeing the rough treatment of the religious garb.

"Sorry." Draco apologised distractedly before looking aorund the room. "Right, is there anything else you want to take with you?"

"No, I've got everything I'll want." Harry assured, giving the bag a little jiggle.

"Good, let's go." The other boy said, grabbing Harry's hand in one of his while he used the other to drag the trunk behind them. They left the bedroom and made their way acorss the small corridor outside to the stairs. "Father! He's all ready." Draco called as they hurried down the stairs, the trunk thumping as it fell down each step.

"Ugh, Draco, must you drag that trunk behind you like that?" Lucius scolded as he and Severus emerged from the kitchen and with a flick oh his wand, he shrunk the trunk and then Accio'd over to them where Severus easily caught it and slipped it into a pocket inside his robes.

"Are you sure you have everything Haryon? I don't know when we'll be able to come back here." Severus told his son, swiftly striding across the room to him.

"I'm sure." Harry assured, still standing next to Draco and still holding his hand.

"It's time to go then." His father told him and the young boy could only nod. Turning towards Lucius, he took his right hand in his own and held it tightly. "Be careful, warning us like this has put you in a lot of danger."

"I'll be fine. Worry about Haryon all right? He's the one who needs it." Lucius murmured his reply, squeezing Severus' hands in a reassuring manner.

Harry turned his attention away from the two adults in the room in favour of looking at his best friend. "I'll see ya soon all right?" He said with an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, see you soon." Draco agreed before pulling the other boy into his arms tightly. "Promise you won't take any stupid risks and make sure you've got someone with a wand who you know for a fact isn't a Death Eater within calling range at all times." The young aristocrat ordered before pulling out of the embrace.

"I promise." The dark haired boy assured as they released each other completely and he was picked up by his father and settled on the man's hip. "Bye for now." He told both the Malfoys with a small wave before he and his father disappeared with a crack.

1st September 1987: Evening

Harry sat beside Severus at the Head Table in the Great Hall and watched with interest as the new First Years walked in and stood at the front of the hall, ready to be sorted into their Houses. He'd never seen a Hogwarts Sorting before as usually by this time he was already on his way to his own school. That had to be different for him this year though.

The hunt for Haryon Snape on behalf of the Dark Lord was now official amongst the Death Eaters and the only place safe enough for him and his father was Hogwarts. So, he'd be living in it for the foreseeable future and would recieve personal tuition from High Priest Sephiran who would visit for lessons every other afternoon excluding weekends. It wasn't an ideal situation as Harry's education would probably suffer, (despite him being far ahead of the rest of his Year at school anyway) and he was in full view of the Hogwarts population and common sense told them all that some of the students had to have parents who were Death Eaters or at least loyal to Voldemort. Harry himself wasn't too worried though and it wasn't because he was "too young" to understand the situation for what it was. In fact, he understood the situation better than anyone else.

The night he and his father had arrived at Hogwarts, he had been given a sleeping draught to calm him and to make sure he was well rested. It was while he was alsleep then that he saw his dear godfather, the very man who had no doubt saved him and Severus a lot fo grief, being tortured under what he had learnt was the Cruciatus curse. Lucius had only been punished for failing though, not for being traitorous, so that at least meant that Voldemort was unaware that they had been warned. That was something to be thankful for. And Harry had seen dreams since then but none of them had been in any way detailed so he wasn't actually sure what was going on anymore.

He had tried to tell various adults about his dreams and each one did the same thing; they gave him sympathy and offered him the option of taking some Dreamless Sleep potion before he went to sleep. They thought they were simply the nightmares of a frightened and confused child. Harry wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or accepting by their reactions. He resented the fact he wasn't being taken seriously but he was also kind of glad; if adults didn't think his dreams were anything to worry about then surely that meant they weren't anything to worry about.

Harry joined in the applause as the last new student was sorted and Professor Dumbledore stood and began to address the school's population. The old wizard had been wonderfully supportive to him and his father, giving them refuge without reserve and believing in Severus completely. All his life, Harry had been told by his father that Dumbledore was not a man they were to get too close to; respect would be shown to him but it would only be half meant. The nine year old didn't need to be told that things had changed now. It wasn't clear to everyone, in fact it was probably only clear to a very few, but Severus was now extremely grateful to the Headmaster to such a degree that Harry believed the man would do anything that Dumbledore asked him to. A rather dramatic change but an understandable one as the old man had given Severus what he needed in order to protect his son.

Dumbledore's voice rang out clearly as he warned First Years of the Forbidden Forest and such and, in Harry's mind, it rang out all the clearer as he introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who had been brought in due to the last one retiring: a Mr Peter Pettigrew. As the hall's occupants applauded for the new professor in welcome, Harry joined in half-heartedly, his finger-tips only just touching the palm of his other hand a couple of times in slow succession. There was something about the man, something other than him just being one of the horrible people who tormented his dear father so much when he was a student. Pettigrew definately had a certain something about him which made Harry feel extremely uneasy around him, though he couldn't for the life of him put a name to what it was he felt.

Food suddenly appeared on the table from nowhere and, turning his full attention back onto Dumbledore, he realised that the speeches were over and it was time to eat. While looking over at the headmaster, he felt another's gaze on him and he shifted his eyes only slightly and he met the small, beady eyes of Peter Pettigrew, staring right at him. Harry felt a chill run through his body at the eye contact and he dropped his gaze as quickly as possible.

"Haryon? Are you alright?" His father murmured to him quietly, leaning down so he could speak in a softer tone and still be heard over the noise in the Great Hall.

"Yes Father." Harry reassured, looking up at the man sitting beside him, making sure to keep a cheerful smile on his face. He was still aware of the beady eyes which still stared so openly at him but he was determined to ignore them. Acting on the spur of the moment, the dark haired boy pecked a quick kiss on his father's cheek before giving him another smile. "I'm fine."

3rd September 1987: Afternoon

"Ahh, Young Haryon, it's good to see you looking so well." The High Priest Sephiran greeted Harry happily as he entered the headmaster's office which had been kindly donated to be the setting for their lessons for however long it took to make sure Harry remained safe.

"Good afternoon High Priest." Harry greeted respectfully, bowing his head as a slim, pale hand settled on top of it. "I hope you had a pleasant journey here."

"Oh yes, it has been quite a while since it was last necessary for me to take a journey in a wyvern-drawn carriage and I found that it's something I shall have to do more often; it was quite enjoyable." He answered as he removed his hand from his student's head and moved gracefully towards one of the two chairs which were placed either side of a small table. "Now, tell me, how have you been doing here my young Apprentice?"

"I have no complaints High Priest. Yes, I miss my friends and Saint Gwenifwar's but I know that it's for the best I'm here so that helps make me feel a little better."

"Good, good, I'm glad to hear it."

A silence passed over them then as the handsome man began to remove various text books and scrolls from the beige cotton bag which hung at his side and Harry tried to pluck up the courage to bring up the subject of his dreams. Yes, he had told the adults around him but they were all wizards and witches. What if this was a divine issue? He wanted to make absolutely sure that nothing of significance was going on and the only way he could do that was to ask his teacher about it as well. He didn't want to be any bother though so he was finding it quite a challenge to make himself say the words.

"High Priest?" Harry finally managed to get out, his voice thick with uncertainly.

"Yes Young Haryon?" The man replied kindly, pausing in his adjustments of the books he'd brought along.

"There's something I want to ask you about..." Harry took in a steadying breath. "I've been having dreams about Vol...The Dark Lord."

"You can speak his name; I do not fear it." Sephiran assured his student. "What happens in these dreams?"

"I see him, Voldemort, talking to his followers, though most of the time I can't make out what he or anyone else is saying, and just recently some of the people there look blurred so I can't make out what they look like." The young boy explained somewhat shyly. "On the night father and I arrived here, I saw him torture my godfather with the Cruciatus curse." He added, just remembering that fact.

"I see..." The handsome man murmured, sounding slightly surprised, no doubt in reaction to the fact that a child knew the name or such a horrible spell. "Tell me Haryon, what do these dreams feel like?"

"They feel real." He replied enthustiastically, relieved to finally be able to talk about this seriously and not just have it immediately passed off as just a bad dream. "Like I'm really there, like I'm awake and actually there, watching everything with my own eyes. And also, I can sometimes feel the other people who are there, their emotions and stuff."

"How long have you been having them?" Sephiran inquired, suddenly sounding awfully serious though his tone remained calm and kind.

Harry hesitated a moment before looking away and mumbling his answer: "I saw him kill my Aunt Narcissa; that was the first one."

That seemed to surprise the High Priest and his eyebrows shot up slightly. A long moment of silence passed between them then before the man gave a tired sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose lightly with long, pale fingers. "Have you told anyone else?" Harry nodded. "And?"

"They say they're just nightmares." Sephiran nodded slightly before they fell into silence again as he seemed to consider something. "High Priest? Are...Are they just nightmares?" Harry asked slightly fearfully.

"There is no such thing as just a nightmare Young Haryon. Every dream, whether it's a nightmare or not, is a message from our Great Lady. It's just that, with some, those who have been Blessed, usually Priests or Priestesses, have dreams which are more than just messages and warnings. They're actual events that are viewed while asleep."

"Do you have them?" Harry asked earnestly.

"Yes, though I was much older than you are when I had my first." Sephiran answered in a slightly amused tone. "And it was nothing even half as important, just my sister playing with my niece one afternoon when I was taking a nap." He gave a soft chuckle at the memory and Harry felt a deep sense of pride that he was having such a casual conversation with who he saw as a great man. "Haryon," he said, once again serious. "The next time you have another dream like that, I want you to still tell someone; even if they just pass it off as a nightmare, they still need to know. I want you to do something else too; as soon as you wake up, I want you to write down as much of the dream as you can remember and I want you to write down everything about it: sight; sound; emotions; everything."

"All right." The young boy agreed sombrely, knowing that this was something important.

"Good." The High Priest said with a kind smile, his whole presence suddenly switching back to being easy-going and relaxed. "Now, on to today's lesson..."

24th September 1987: Afternoon

Harry smiled slightly as his hair was affectionalty ruffled by Professor Trelawney before she moved off to her desk to write out a reply for the note he had just given her.

On days when Harry didn't have any lessons, he had become the equivilant of an owl for the teachers of Hogwarts, being handed notes and then instructions to scamper off and deliver them to whatever teachers were required to read the message. He didn't mind; it gave him something to do, it made him interact with other people rather than remaining locked in his father's quarters and he often recieved treats from the teachers he gave messages to.

As the young, green eyed boy waited for the return meesage which he would take back to Dumbledore, he began to wander around the classroom, taking an interest in what the students were currently doing. When he noticed a familiar head of red hair over to the back of the room, Harry made a bee-line over to the table.

"Hi Bill." He greeted the older boy as he reached the table.

Harry had met Bill on one of his first days in Hogwarts before he had started his job as "human owl". He'd been sitting in his father's Potions lessons because he'd got lonely by himself and Bill and his class had a lesson third period. Harry had helped him with the potion they had been making by stopping him from adding an incorrectly chopped ingrediant and then had hung around to help some more. That afternoon at lunch, Bill had invited Harry to eat with him and his friends at the Gryffindor table and that was how their friendship had begun.

"Hey there Harry." The eldest Weasley son returned, taking his eyes off of the crystal ball which sat in the centre of his table. Beside him, another boy was half slumped over, his eyes heavy lidded and unblinking as he stared at the orb.

"Having fun?" Harry teased, noticing the other older boy's almost comatose state.

"Oh yeah, loads of fun." Bill grinned before he shifted his chair back a little. "Fancy having a go?"

"Really?" The younger boy asked excitedly.

"Sure, just stare at the ball and see if you can make anything out." The red haired teenager instructed as he nudged the other boy out of the way easily so that Harry could get a decent, unobscured look.

Harry leaned forward eagerly, peering into the centre of the globe and seeing the whispy mist which swirled around inside. For what felt like an age, he saw nothing except the clouds, but just when he was about to move away and give up, he caught sight of something. The mist parted a little but not enough to make everything easily clear, Harry could just about make out the picture.

There was a big, fat rat, a small, pale green garden snake and a large, black snake of a breed Harry couldn't easily identify. The big snake was curled around the rat tightly and the rat looked rather uncomfortable though was showing no real desire to get away. From the position it was in, it could have quite easily bit the snake curled around him quite badly but it showed no sign that it was even considering it. From the right, the little green snake slithered closer to the big snake and the rat, appearing curious, flicking its tiny tongue out to taste them both. Just as the little snake looked as if it was about to move on, the rat was suddenly released and it lunged at the little snake, seizing it in its mouth roughly but carefully and then quickly took it over to the big snake. The little snake was dropped and the big snake immediately curled around it, trapping it gently as it moved its head around to gently flick its tongue over the top of the small snake's head. The rat stepped forward towards the two snakes tentitavely, looking suddenly unsure and then, unexpectedly, the big snake darted forward and sunk its teeth into the rat's back making the poor creature release a silent scream and begin to struggle against the clamped jaws violently.

Harry drew back quickly, more than a little disturbed by what he had just seen. That last scene with the rat being bitten had been horrible and the young boy felt distinctly queasy now. Had that been a vision though? Or just an image conjured up by his over-active imagination?

"So? Did you see anything?" Bill's voice interrupted his musings suddenly and his head snapped to the side to look at the older boy. He looked amused and teasing and Harry quite comfortably decided that he wasn't aware that Harry had actually seen something. And it was going to stay that way; Harry didn't think he'd be believed even if he did tell the other boy about what he saw.

"What do you think?" Harry answered with his own amused expression; not outwardly lying, just not voicing the truth.

Bill and his friend chuckled a little. "Not surprising; no one ever sees anything. Divination is a load of tripe if you ask me." The red haired boy grinned, making sure to keep his voice low so there would be no chance of him being over-heard.

"Haryon, dear." Professor Trelawney's voice called over to them suddenly and the three boys turned towards the front of the classroom when the teacher was gesturing the youngest over, a piece of folded parchment in her hands.

"I'll see ya later then Bill." Harry sighed as he moved away from the table before heading down towards the front.

"Dinner at Gryffindor table again Harry?" Bill asked quickly before the young boy could leave.

"Sure thing, see you then." The dark haired boy agreed, throwing a quick wave behind him before hurrying the rest of the way down to the front of the classroom, stubbornly stopping himself from thinking about what he had just seen in the crystal ball.

30th October 1987: Afternoon

Harry returned the wave he was given by a group of Hufflepuffs as he walked down one of Hogwarts numerous corridors on his way to his father's quarters unless a better offer popped up before he reached them. He'd just finished handing out the last message for the day and now he was intent on having a bit of relaxing time to himself or to join some of his friends if he was invited. Either would do, he wasn't picky. Depsite his hard work as a human owl for most of the day and the reasons why he was even in his situation in the first place which still constantly haunted him, he was in a good mood as usual, happy with how things were for the moment.

However, his good mood suddenly morphed as he moved past a window. It had been raining on and off all day and the current shower had actually lasted for quite a while now. It was because of the rain which pattered onto the glass in little splashes that Harry was suddenly very still and his eyes had become very wide.

The rain was black.

Harry felt his face drain of colour as he watched the drops of black, viscous liquid slide down the outside of the window leaving a thick, black trail behind it. He stood there completely shocked into stillness, unable to move in the least and his eyes fixed on the terrible sight in front of him. Black rain was a bad omen; a terribly bad omen, but not in the Wizarding world or in a Divination sense. Black rain was the worst omen that was possible for a Havanist to see and only one person had ever been recorded to have actually seen it before; the Great Lady herself the eve before she faced the incarnation of evil.

"Haryon?" An unfamiliar voice suddenly said to his side.

Harry quickly looked to his side to see Peter Pettigrew standing beside him. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed that in the spilt second he had looked away from the window, the rain had returned to normal, no long black and thick but clear and thin. With a small sigh, he turned his full attention back to his least favourite teacher in the school, intent on making this meeting end as swiftly as possible.

"Professor Pettigrew." Harry replied politely, keeping a hold of his emotions in the same way which both his father and godfather had taught him to over the years.

"You're looking rather pale if you don't mind me saying; is something wrong?" The teacher asked, sounding anything but worried.

"It's nothing, I'm fine. Thank you for asking though Professor." Harry answered before turning from the man, intending to run to his father's quarters and dig out his school text books to check up on the legend of Black Rain. However, he'd barely taken a step before a fat hand curled around his elbow and held him back. Ignoring the sudden swell of panic which shot through him at that contact, Harry stopped obediently and turned back to look at the teacher who towered above him.

"Maybe you should take a bit of a rest, just to make sure. Why don't we go to my quarters and you can have a sit down?"

Now that sounded wrong in so many ways. Harry kept a tight hold on his emotions, letting nothing show and giving "the enemy" nothing to work with. His mind was still rather panicked and flustered though and he was having trouble thinking of a way out of this situation. The few seconds of silence that actually passed felt like several long, painful hours to Harry as he desperately tried to think of an easy way out of this situation. Luckily, he ended up not having to think up a method to get away because a famliar voice suddenly called his name from off down the corridor.

Together, both Harry and Pettigrew turned to see that, further off down the corridor, Bill Weasley and several other Gryffindor were wavingto Harry, beckoning him over. Harry sent a silent thank you to his Great Lady for the save and pulled his arm out of the man's grip which had loosened considerably since the interruption. The young boy and the older man looked each other in the eye, each trying to size the other up and to figure out exactly what it was that happened/went wrong respectively.

Finally, it was Harry who broke the eye contact and the silence as he lowered his eyes and took a step backwards. "Good day Professor." He murmured before turning and hurrying off down the corridor towards the older Gryffindors who were still waiting for him.

"Hey Harry, what was all that about?" Bill asked curiously as the young boy reached them, glancing at him before glancing back over to the DADA professor who was still staring at them, or at Harry to be more precise.

"I, um, I'm not completely sure." Harry answered, his flustered state making his words and tone a little unsure.

"Oh, well, we were just heading to the common room to lay around and do nothing until dinner and we wondered if you felt like joining us." The eldest Weasley son invited, backed up with a few nods from the surrounding teenagers.

"Oh, erm, I, um, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to pass. There's...There's something I've got to go check. But, I'll still join you for dinner, if you still want me to." Harry answered, cursing himself inwardly for the words which tumbled from him in a seemingly uncontrollable stream.

"Of course your still welcome. See you then, then." The older boy said with a smile as he and his friends turned and wandered off.

Harry sighed but kept a smile on his face as he gave the group of Gryffindors a small wave. However, when they were out of sight, his smile vanished in an instant. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before replacing them on his nose and dashing off in the opposite direction to where the teenagers had headed, on his way to his father's quarters in the dungeons.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

31st October 1987: Afternoon

Dark surroundings, no definable features to tell Him where He was. Just darkness, stretching on forever.

Three figures, features hidden in light, one shinning red, one shining gray, one shining bright white. The gray and white stood to the right and faced the red together, both standing tall and proud. From the gray, green suddenly appeared and flew forwards gracefully, shooting towards the red. A separate green light left the red soon after, travelling with far more speed than the first.

The green going towards the red faded and vanished even before it reached its target. The green heading towards the gray didn't stop, it kept going, glowing bright as the seconds dragged by. It reached the gray, it encircled it, it smothered it, it extinguished it.

The white was left alone with the red. The white faded into red itself.

All was lost.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Uhh, Father..." Harry gasped as a wave of dizziness clouded his vision as sight returned to him, the images of bright lights on black leaving him feeling drained and cold. Strong arms were already around him, keeping him up but they weren't his father's. Whose were they? Oh yes, they were Bill's; the older boy had been walking with him to his lesson with the High Priest.

"Easy Harry, he's coming." Bill's soft voice murmured in his ear.

Hurried footsteps reached his ears and Harry knew that it was true; his father was coming for him and then he'd be safe, he'd be fine. He sagged in the older boy's arms, finding it harder and harder to remain conscious. The voices around him swam together, making one big noise which was completely unidentifiable. But then he was moving and larger, more sturdy arms were holding him and he was lifted off the floor and enveloped in a wonderful, familiar scent.

"Father..." Harry whispered.

"Shh, I'm here." The deep reply came and Harry smiled very gently; now he knew he was safe and he could finally go to sleep.

31st October 1987: Evening

Harry turned over onto his side and released a small yawn as consciousness seeped back into him, slowly bringing him back into reality. He was in a bed and judging from the scent which was all around him, it was his father's bed. That meant he was in his father's quarters.

As he woke up more and more, Harry started to remember what had happened bit by bit. He'd been walking along talking quite happily with Bill Weasley when everything around him had suddenly disappeared only to be replaced with the short scene of darkness and light he had witnessed. After that everything was still a little fuzzy and then there was nothing and now he was here...And he had obviously missed his lesson with High Priest Sephiran. Damn, he hoped the man wasn't offended or anything.

With a sigh and a stretch, Harry swung his legs out of bed and slid down onto the floor, intending to go and tell his father that he was awake. However, when he left the bedroom, he found the sitting room was completely empty which was odd. Harry frowned lightly before going back into his father's bedroom and heading over to the bathroom door. He gave a few swift knocks on it and waited for an answer...Nothing. Throwing caution to the wind, Harry cracked the door open and peered in. The small bathroom was completely empty which meant his father wasn't anywhere in his quarters; it was extremely odd to say the least.

Noticing that he was still in his Saint Gwenifwar's uniform minus the thick, heavy white cloak, he decided that he'd go looking for the dark, sombre figure of his father, just to reassure the man that he was now completely fine. He hurried out of the bedroom and across the sitting room, over to the portrait hole which led out into the rest of the dungeons. With a gentle push, the portrait swung outwards and Harry slipped out of the room, making sure to close the portrait hole carefully behind himself before carrying on down the corridor.

His bare feet padded quietly on the cold stone of the dungeon floors as he half walked, half jogged and his loose cotton clothing made no noise at all. With nothing but silence surrounding him, it was unsurprising that Harry heard the voices coming from a teacher's quarters that he knew for a fact didn't have an occupant that year. He slowed to a stop just outside the door the muffled sound of talking was coming from and silently tip-toed closer to it, pressing his ear against the cool wood in an attempt to try and hear everything a bit better. The door moved in a bit when he did that and for a few horrible seconds, he thought he'd been caught. However, Harry soon realised that the door must not have been shut properly in the first place and the extra pressure he put on it when leaning against it, as little as it must have been, had caused it to swing in slightly. When he was once again sure that it was safe to continue his little bout of spying, he peered through the newly created crack between the door and its frame.

"I want him now Pettigrew!" A familiar, angry voice hissed and Harry saw the DADA professor with his head in the room's fireplace.

"I'm trying my best Master but for some reason he's decided to hate me before even interacting with me." The podgy man answered, his voice quivering a little.

"I am not interested in your excuses. You are completely incompetent! How hard is it to gain the trust of a nine year old child or even to just find an opportune moment to snatch him?" The voice Harry recognised as belonging to Voldemort demanded irritably.

"He has many friends here My Lord, it's impossible to get him alone..."

"What did I just say about your excuses?"

"Sorry Master."

"I want him Pettigrew, I want him now; tonight."

"T-tonight? B-but My Lord..."

"Do not test me Pettigrew. I am growing increasingly irritated with your lack of success and your pathetic attempts to gain such an innocent boy's trust. What I have asked you to do is in no way hard yet you have failed several times now."

Harry's eyes had grown wider as the two voices conversed and now his jaw had dropped as well. They were talking about him! It explained why he always felt the DADA professor's beady eyes on him and he was the only nine year old in the school. And now Voldemort wanted him that very night. In that case, there was no way in Hell he was going to stay there and eavesdrop anymore. He was going to run all the way to the Headmaster's office and demand for once that he be taken seriously before telling the old man everything he'd just heard. At the back of his mind, he was silently cheering about the fact that he had been right not to trust the school's latest DADA teacher but that was something to be gloated over later on.

Unfortunately, by an act of Fate or bad luck, Pettigrew chose that moment to get his head out of the fire and look behind him, his eyes immediately falling onto where Harry was lurking by the doorway. The young boy immediately gasped in horror and stumbled away, not hesitating in dashing back off down the corridor once again as quickly as he could. As he turned a corner, he distantly heard the yelled voice of Voldemort ordering Pettigrew to pursue him and that only made him pick up his pace even more. However, it turned out to make no difference how fast he ran because a door to a room just ahead of him suddenly opened and Pettigrew emerged, stepping into Harry's path and, before the young boy could skid to a stop, he'd crashed into the lump of lard and was hauled up and flung over one of the man's shoulders.

How?...When?...How the Hell did this fat oaf of a man manage to not only get ahead of him but also to get into what he guessed was a classroom in order to spring out and surprise him? It made no sense! And it was grossly unfair! Because now he was being carried, none too gently as well because, for the fat man that Pettigrew was, he had an extremely bony shoulder which was bruising his ribs, on his way to somewhere where he was going to confront the Dark Lord Voldemort on his own. Completely on his own! He was going to die! He just knew it.

"Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO!" Harry yelled as he struggled desperately, thrashing his arms and legs and twisting his body around furiously. Suddenly, half way through a yell, his voice just stopped coming out despite the fact he was still trying to make noise.

"There, that's shut you up." The fat man growled as they made it outside of the front doors of Hogwarts and he tucked his wand back into the pocket of his robes.

Harry may not have been able to speak anymore but that just meant he could concentrate on struggling free. He bucked and pushed and thrashed but never tried hitting the man who had him so unceremoniously thrown over his shoulder; as far as he knew, the Vow of Pacifism still applied to this kind of situation. All his movement did seem to have an affect; at several points he was very close to being dropped and that only fed his determination.

After another few minutes, just when Harry was starting to grow tired and his muscles began to feel heavy, he was abruptly dropped onto the ground. A small cheer of triumph was cried inside the young boy's head as he thought this was his chance and he could now run back to the safety of Hogwarts and get help. However, that thought died as quickly as it was born when he spotted the dark, cloaked figure with burning red eyes standing less than a foot away from him. Upon seeing that sight, Harry completely froze where he was, unable to force his muscles to move.

"Hello Harry." Voldemort greeted him kindly, closing the distance between them and kneeling down to where the young boy was still sprawled out on the ground. "It's been quite a while since we last saw each other and my, how you've grown. Turning into such a beautiful young man." He mused, brushing a few strands of hair out of Harry's wide eyes in an affectionate manner. "How have you been since we last spoke?"

Harry wanted to answer, he really did, if only so that the strange man who was still caressing his face so gently wouldn't get angry and switch to doing something far more unpleasant. The spell was still on him making him mute though and he wasn't sure how he was going to get that across. Thinking on his feet, he tilted his head back a little and patted his throat, just over his voice-box and then pointed towards Pettigrew who was standing off at the side nervously. Thankfully, Voldemort seemed to understand what he was saying as he cast a quick "Finite Incantatum" before glaring at the Death Eater.

"I'll deal with you later." The Dark Lord hissed poisonously making the short, fat man quiver fearfully before he turned his red eyes back onto Harry, who had now sat up into an ideal position to be able to bolt the moment he got a chance. "Now, as I asked before, how have you been Harry?"

"Very well thank you My Lord." Harry answered politely, hiding the fear and disgust he actually felt. "I, erm, I would like to thank you for the gift you sent me for Valentines Day."

That seemed to be exactly the right thing to say as the man smiled slightly, obviously pleased. "I'm glad you liked it. Nagini told me she smelt fear on you when you opened it though?"

"I...I was just a little startled to receive it...And I thought of what my father would say..." Harry mumbled uncomfortably, looking away and therefore missing the frown which appeared on Voldemort's face. "I apologise My Lord, but I can't stay here with you; I have to go back before I'm missed..." He said, quickly getting onto his feet and making a move to dash away. However, a long slim hand was quickly wrapped around his small wrist in an uncomfortable grip. It wasn't painful but it definitely wasn't something he wanted to continue.

"You can't go back Harry." Voldemort told him sternly, his voice taking on a dark quality and Harry stubbornly kept himself from looking at the man for fear of the expression he would see.

"My Lord, I was merely going to go back to make sure that my presence wasn't missed so..." Harry began to lie in order to negate the Dark Lord's anger as much as possible now it was clear that the opportunity to escape had passed.

"And that is why you can't go back Harry." The man told him, his tone suddenly softening. "I don't want you to go back and get your heart broken."

"What...?" Harry asked, finally once again looking at Voldemort. The expression he found on the man's face was surprising; he looked sad, sympathetic and deep in his eyes there was just a hint of a gleam of hatred for something unknown but somehow apparent not for him.

"Your presence isn't going to be missed my young prince." Voldemort told him gently, tugging him closer a little by the grip he still held on his wrist.

"It...It's not?"

"No. The only reason I'm here for you now is because..." The man hesitated as if trying to steel himself for what he was about to say next. "Is because your father came to me with a request."

"My father went to you...?" Harry echoed, completely confused; why would his father go to the Dark Lord about anything now? Ever since Narcissa had died he knew that his father held no loyalty to Voldemort and even more so now that he knew the mad-man was after him for some reason.

"Yes, he asked me if I would be kind enough to take you in." The Dark Lord stopped again and took a deep breath in before speaking once more. "Haryon, my dear darling boy, I hate to be the one to tell you this but...Your father...Severus...He...He no longer desires to be your father."

The blood in Harry's veins turned to ice, his stomach and heart sank, his eyes widened and instantly filled with tears and a small gasp escaped him as his jaw dropped a little. His father...His father didn't want him anymore? Why? Why now? Was...Could it be because of that afternoon when he had passed out? Was all of this too much for the man? The stress of having a son who was desired by one of the most powerful wizards ever and who seemed to be going mad what with countless nightmares and now hallucinations? It made sense. If his own birth mother and father didn't want him when he was barely a few hours old and hadn't been able to do anything to cause trouble, why would a usually cold man who had no real reason to care for him put up with all the trouble his mere existence had caused over the past year? It was completely understandable, it was bound to happen one day...But that made it no easier to deal with and it made it no easier to realise that, once again, he wasn't wanted...

"He...He doesn't want..." Harry breathed, staring ahead at Voldemort with tearful eyes, his free hand coming up to hover over his mouth. "B-but, what about Uncle Lucius and Draco...?"

"I am so sorry my darling." Voldemort whispered, bringing a hand up to cup the young boy's cheek.

Harry shook his head a little, not enough to disrupt the Dark Lord's hand on his cheek, and stared at the man in front of him with horrified eyes. "W-why? Did I...Did I do something? Did he say why? Did he tell you..." The shaking dark haired boy paused as tears began to fall from his eyes. "I tried so hard to be as good as I could...What was it I did wrong...?" More tears came. "He's left me too...Am I...Am I really that awful that no one wants me?"

"No my prince, no, of course not." The Dark Lord quickly assured, pulling Harry fully into his arms and the small boy didn't even protest, instead gratefully accepting the comfort, forgetting who it was who was offering it. "Those who have left you, they are the ones who are awful. They are cruel and hateful and weak, unable to truly comprehend what a beautiful, wonderful young man you are."

"I'm alone...Oh Havanack, I'm alone again!" Harry sobbed heartbrokenly, wailing the name of his Goddess in despair.

"No Harry, no you're not alone, you're never alone because you have me. I'll keep you and I'll take you away from here, away from all the heart ache and rejection and I'll keep you safe and warm and I'll love you, I'll love you the way you deserve to be loved." Voldemort cooed gently, rocking the body in his arms.

Upon hearing that, a small swell of hope filled Harry's fractured heart and he clung to it desperately in a hope to ease the ache which felt as though it was ripping away at him from the inside. He forgot whose arms he was in, he forgot exactly who it was that was making these wonderful, comforting, sweet promises and he accepted them; he believed they were true because he could do nothing else. No one wanted him, he was alone again except the man whose arms he was currently being rocked so gently in. And that's why, tentatively, small arms rose to wrap around the larger form, pressing himself closer to the warmth of the strong chest, pulling himself so that his chin could comfortably rest on Voldemort's shoulder and so that he missed the triumphant sneer which passed across the man's face at the action.

"Harry?" Voldemort whispered gently, turning his head towards the young boy's slightly. "Before we leave, I need to mark you so that no one will ever be able to take you from me and I can take care of you without interruption."

"Mark me?" Harry repeated in a tearful whisper, drawing back enough to look into the shining red eyes which looked at him with such longing and affection.

"Just a tiny little mark on your forehead, right here." He explained, gently running his fingertips over the area he was talking about, just above the right eyebrow.

"Will it hurt?"

"Yes." Voldemort answered seriously.

Harry looked at the dark, red eyed man who, inside, he knew was bad and horrible and evil and yet here he was being nice and sympathetic and offering to take him in now that no one else wanted him. And he so didn't want to be alone. The things he was saying, the promises he was making, they seemed genuine enough and he was offering to mark him as his own; he wouldn't offer such a thing if he wasn't serious. Why was Harry even thinking about this anyway? He had no one and nothing else, he didn't really have much of a choice in this matter.

Still reluctant but having no other option clear to him, Harry hesitantly nodded his consent and was rewarded with a smiled "good boy" from the Dark Lord which made him smile a little once again. Voldemort's arms fell from around him and the young boy took the hint and allowed his own arms to drop as well. "Now Harry, this will hurt, quite a bit I imagine, but as soon as I'm done I'll be able to cast a numbing charm on it all right? I just need you to be a brave boy and grit your teeth and bear it for a couple of minutes; can you do that?" Harry nodded sombrely. "Good boy." He said again earning another small smile from his soon-to-be charge.

The man placed a soft kiss on the area where the mark would soon be before drawing back completely and raising his left hand and, for the first time, Harry noticed just how long the Dark Lord's nails were. The boy closed his eyes, preparing himself for the pain which he was so sure was going to be like nothing he had ever felt. And then it came...And it wasn't so bad. It was sharp and uncomfortable and he wanted it to stop but it wasn't terrible or unbearable. Concentrating on the sharp pain which was the source, Harry guessed that some sort of shape was being scratched into his skin with something sharp and, considering what he had just seen with the Dark Lord's nail and the position the man's hands were in, he guessed that it was a fingernail being used to make the cut.

A short while later, the nail left him and the sharp pain left leaving behind a strong throb which radiated out from the cut. The distinct sensation of blood trickling down his skin scared him for a few moments before he felt a soft cloth of some sort being rubbed along the trail of blood, wiping it away. After all the blood had been removed, he heard Voldemort whisper a quick charm and no more blood followed that which had already been cleaned away.

"That was just the first step Harry." Voldemort told him gently, tilting the boy's head up so they could look each other straight in the eye. "This next bit is the most important bit but it's also the bit that will hurt the most. I need you to be really brave here, even braver than before." Harry could only find the strength to nod quickly. "All right." The man said with a small nod of his own as he pulled out his wand from inside his robes. "Here, put your hands on my arm and squeeze if you need to." He instructed as he moved the small hand onto his left arm. Harry gave them a small squeeze almost as if experimenting before taking a deep breath and nodding that he was ready. The wand was raised and pressed to the newly given wound and something was hissed in a strange way, like some sort of made up language...

...And then the pain began. A scream of agony ripped itself out of Harry's delicate throat as his head felt like it was being split in half. He instinctively tried to move away from the source of the pain but a strong hand suddenly wrapped around his neck in just the right position so he wasn't being strangled and held him in place. His screaming continued as the pain levelled out to such an intensity that Harry felt his legs buckle beneath him and he sagged slightly as the fight to not pass out sapped the energy from everywhere else in his body. Far off, he thought he heard Voldemort praising him, assuring him that he was doing well and it would be over soon, but it was so unclear and he was in so much pain that it may have been a hallucination.

Small hands clutched at Voldemort's arm as tightly as they could, using him as an anchor to keep the mind connected to the arms sane and conscious. But then, as suddenly as the pain had started, it was gone and so was Voldemort. Without anything to support himself on, Harry's legs gave way beneath him and he crumpled to the floor in a heap. He sobbed out a breath, realising that he hadn't been breathing properly and desperately needing to now. Opening his eyes, Harry was more than a little shocked to discover that he was no longer touching the grass beneath him and was actually flying through the air. Everything felt so numb to him at that moment however that it really should have been no surprise he hadn't felt anything. However, he did feel it when he collided with a warm, strong chest and long, strong arms wrapped around him quickly.

Looking up weakly and twisting his head around so he could look up to see who it was exactly who had caught him, Harry's eyes widened in confusion and surprise at who, exactly, it was that seemed to have "rescued" him. "Uncle Lucius?" He breathed out in wonder; he thought Voldemort had said he wasn't wanted? Somewhere at the back of his mind where everything was still marginally coherent he noted that there was an unconscious Peter Pettigrew sprawled out on the grass to the side.

"Oh Haryon, what has he done to you?" The blonde man whispered as he gently lifted Harry's dark fringe and the small boy felt a pang of fear as he wondered exactly what it was that the Dark Lord had done to him. Obviously nothing good if his godfather's expression was anything to go by.

"Malfoy!" Voldemort's voice suddenly roared angrily and Harry was immediately set down and pulled behind Lucius' form protectively. "Would you kindly explain what you think you are doing?"

"You took my wife; you will not take my godson." Lucius answered with a glare as he lifted his wand and pointed it at the Dark Lord.

Harry clung to his godfather's leg as the implications of what he said dawned on him; he was wanted! Voldemort had lied to him; Lucius, at least, still wanted him! That could mean that what the Dark Lord had said about Severus not wanting him was a lie too! But even if it wasn't, Lucius still wanted him and surely, even if the man couldn't talk his father around, he'd be welcomed with open arms at Malfoy Manor still.

"You think you can just take him now Lucius?" Voldemort sneered. "He's mine now, that mark tells you and the world that's so, you can't change that. And what else are you going to try? Are you going to try and kill me Lucius?" A mocking laugh. "I would certainly like to see that."

Harry watched with wide eyes as his godfather drew back his wand and spat out, in the angriest voice he had ever heard the man speak in, "Avada Kedavra!" In reply, not even a millisecond later, Voldemort released the same curse, his voice just as angry and hate filled, and instantly Harry knew only too well what was going to happen. The scene he had watched just before he passed out that afternoon, it had been a warning, a warning for what was about to happen now. The Killing curse, that awful green light, was going to hit his darling godfather and he would die, leaving Draco alone, leaving him alone...

With a burst of strength that no one would ever suspect from the slight form of the young boy paired with the fact Lucius wasn't standing in the best stance for balance, Harry managed to shove the blonde man down and to the side, effectively getting him out of the path of the racing green light. There was no time to move himself though. He didn't care about that however, he would be glad to die if it meant that Lucius could stay and be with Draco; he'd go and join Aunt Narcissa and wait for the day that they could all be reunited again.

Several voices screamed his name in fear as the green light enveloped him. Harry closed his eyes serenely, ready to accept whatever it was that death had to offer him, as he felt himself being thrown back. A male scream of either pain or anguish reached his ears as he continued to soar and gravity began to pull him back down. The last thing he was aware of was a sharp pain in the back of his head


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

1st November 1987: Morning

Harry's eyes slowly opened only to be clenched shut tightly again upon seeing the bright, harsh yellow light of his surrounding area. He groaned lightly as he rolled onto his back, his arm coming up to rest half over his foreheadand half over his eyesas well. He remembered everything, only too well, but he just couldn't summon the effort or energy to speak or look up properly.

"Haryon?" A comforting voice came by his side at that moment as a slim, cool hand pressed against the top of his forehead which wasn't covered by his arm already.

"High Priest?" Harry whispered, letting his head lull to the side and pulling his arm away from his eyes. Carefully, he opened them a little bit but closed them once again upon seeing that it was, indeed,his teacher and that the room was still too bright.

"How are you feeling?" The handsome man inquired gently as the mattress beneath Harry dipped a bit, signalling that he was now perched on the edge.

"Tired, but otherwise I'm all right." The young boy answered as he tried opening his eyes again. This time, instead of shutting them again, he just squinted to give his eyes time to get used to the new light. "If you don't mind me asking High Priest, why are you here?" He questioned curiously, tilting his head in order to look at the man beside him. Sephiran looked concerned but still had that serene quality that always seemed to be present in him. Harry noted as well that they weren't in the main part of the Infirmary like he thought he would be. He was in fact in one of the private, side rooms used for when students had extremely contagious and stubborn viruses

"It was agreed that it would be best if you woke up to a familiar, friendly face. Headmaster Dumbledore has gone to support your father and your godfather in their trials."

"Trials?" Harry echoed fearfully, his eyes instantly flying the rest of the way open.

"They were both found with the Dark Mark; I'm sorry." The man told him sympathetically, obviously thinking that the young boy wasn't aware of the fact.

"But they haven't been loyal to Voldemort for years! Not since Aunt Narcissa's death! They've been spying for Dumbledore for three years now, surely that counts for something?" Harry cried desperately, sitting up in his bed quickly and going to get out, up onto his feet.

"Haryon, Haryon, calm down; there is no need for such panic." Sephiran reassured him, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder and gently pushing him back down. "If what you say is true then there is nothing to worry about. Our Great Lady would not stand by idle when one of Her most faithful Apprentices suffered an injustice. When the light of morning comes, we shall sort everything out."

Harry lay back down obediently and released a small sigh. He raised a hand and rubbed the area just above his right eyebrow feeling the rough outline of the cut the Dark Lord had created, marking him. There was a definite shape to it; felt to him like a lightning bolt. "What happened to Voldemort?"

"He's disappeared." The Havanist High Priest answered softly, pulling the covers up a little further up to the boy's chin. Harry looked up at him upon hearing that, his eyes widening in surprise.

"They just let him escape?"

"No. According to your godfather, the Killing curse you pushed him out of the way from rebounded off of you and hit the Dark Lord and, apparently, his body was completely destroyed." Sephiran explained.

"Guess that at least explains why I'm not dead then." Harry said with a slight smile, staring up at the white ceiling high above him. Sephiran gave a small chuckle at that as well and an easy silence passed over them for a few moments before Harry spoke once again: "What is it he did to me?"

The High Priest gave a small sigh and his blue eyes fell to look at his own fingers which trailed gently over the crisp, white bed sheet. "None of us are completely sure, though, before Headmaster Dumbledore had to leave, the main belief was that he enchanted you with some sort of spell. Having you awake and seeing that you're in no obvious pain or discomfort, I would think that he cast some sort of powerful protection charm on you which would explain why you managed to survive the Killing curse. Whether he intended to cast such a spell or whether it is the result of a half finished curse, we may never find out."

Harry decided at that moment not to mention the fact that Voldemort had promised to basically take him home and look after him because, looking back, it was all probably just a lie to gain his trust in order to get him close enough to kill him. Though that didn't explain why the man had glared at Pettigrew in such a way when he found out about him being muted. Nothing could be proved or disproved now so the young boy saw little point in bringing it up. All it could possibly do would be to create more questions to which answers would never be found because Voldemort was gone now.

"Voldemort's gone..." Harry suddenly whispered in disbelief, the fact only really just dawning on him.

"Yes. For the foreseeable future at least, Lord Voldemort is no longer an issue." The man sitting beside him gave a small smile and shook his head. "I always thought you were a remarkable boy Young Haryon, but never did I think for a second that you would play a key part in the demise of the Great Dark Lord."

"The newspapers are going to go mad." The young boy predicted with a sigh.

"I'm sure your godfather and his son will be more than happy to help you handle the press." Sephiran reassured with another chuckle.

Upon mention of Draco, Harry's eyes widened. Lucius had been arrested along with his father! "Where's Draco? Surely he's not been left at the manor all on his own?"

"Young Mister Malfoy is being retrieved from his home by a couple of Aurors as we speak. He'll be brought straight here and then I imagine that the Aurors will want to have a word with you about what happened. They may use some of what you say in defense of your godfather and in persecution of Peter Pettigrew, though in the latter case I hardly think it will be required." Sephiran replied seconds before the sound of the doors to the Infirmary banging open drew the attentions of both the room's occupants to the door to the private room in anticipation of someone bursting in.

"Harry?" A voice from behind the door called.

"Mister Malfoy, please keep your voice down." That sounded like Madam Pomfrey.

"You said he was in here! Where is he?" Draco's voice demanded.

"He is in one of the private rooms Mister Malfoy, do calm down." The school nurse's prim tone answered as the click of shoes on the hard floor got closer to them.

After the dark haired boy in the bed shifted until he was sitting up, a few moments of stillness passed before the door to the room Harry and Sephiran were in opened to reveal an annoyed looking Madam Pomfrey and a flustered, panicked looking Draco. The young Malfoy's gaze immediately fell onto his best friend and in a second he had moved from the doorway to actually being on the bed on top of Harry.

"You're okay! You're okay!" Draco gasped happily, hugging the other boy around the waist tightly and burying his face in the crook of his neck. "I was so scared he was going to take you from me too! But you're okay!" Harry gave Draco's back a small pat of reassurance, not really sure what else he could do to comfort his best friend who was still dressed in his pyjamas. Looking over the top of Draco's blonde head, he caught sight of three other people and he frowned upon recognising at least one of them.

"You!" He cried, spotting James Potter enter the small room with the other two adults; another man who looked a little insane in Harry's opinion and a woman with the wildest coloured hair he'd ever seen. "Why in Merlin's name did they have to send you?"

"Now Haryon." Sephiran said in a somewhat stern tone though it was still soft and sympathetic.

"Who is he?" Draco asked, twisting around on the bed and settling down next to his best friend and looking at the bespecled Auror.

"James Potter." Harry told him quietly, not taking his eyes off of the man. "I don't want him in here." The dark haired boy insisted stubbornly even as Draco's eyes lit up in realisation.

"You're THE James Potter? Oh dear Merlin, and I let you in my house! Ugh, we'll have to get Dobby to bathe everything in cleaning charms." The blonde sneered causing Harry to giggle happily before he sobered again and frowned.

"I don't want him in here." He insisted again. "I won't say another word until he's gone." And with that, Harry pressed his lips together tightly. Just in a show of solidarity, Draco joined him, pressing his own lips together as well.

"Now c'mon..." Potter began to protest but it was surprisingly Madam Pomfrey who interrupted him.

"I don't know why any of you are talking about this now because you won't be allowed to get a word from this poor boy until I've examined him thoroughly and given him the all clear. You of all people should know what he's been through and I won't allow him to be questioned for the next few hours until he had a clean bill of health." She told the three Aurors sternly. "Now, unless you're a trained healer or acting as legal guardian I want you out of here. Go on, away with you all." She shooed the adults, somehow earning an indignant cry of "watch the hair!" from the female one. When they were gone, the woman turned back to the other occupants in the room and gave Draco a pointed look. "That includes you as well Mister Malfoy."

"No!" Harry protested quickly, clutching onto Draco at the exact same moment as the blonde tightened his grip on him. "Please Madam Pomfrey, can't Draco stay? Please?"

The school nurse seemed to consider the request silently for a while before releasing a sigh and shaking her head in defeat. "Fine, you may stay Mister Malfoy." The boys broke out in twin grins of triumph. "But if you start to make a nuisance of yourself or cause a fuss it'll be straight out with you."

"Of course." The blonde conceded though he didn't sound as if he really meant it.

"Off the bed then Mister Malfoy." Madam Pomfrey ordered briskly as she moved around to the side of the bed Draco was currently occupying.

"What? But..." He began to protest before Harry gave him a sharp pinch to silence him. Draco got the message and reluctantly rolled over Harry so he could get off on the other side and stand beside the bed while the nurse did her thing. It was while he moved that Sephiran stood as well and he was noticed by the young aristocrat for the first time. "Who are you?"

"Oh, Draco, this is High Priest Sephiran. High Priest, this is Draco Malfoy, my Uncle Lucius' son." Harry introduced them as Madam Pomfrey began her examination of him.

"It's nice to meet you young man." Sephiran greeted Draco with his usual smile as he held out his hand for the boy to shake.

"Nice to meet you too." Draco returned the greeting as he shook the older man's hand. "So you're the priest that Harry seems to worship so much hmm?"

"Draco!" Harry cried in protest, an embarrassed blush colouring his cheeks. Sephiran merely smiled at the comment.

"Mister Malfoy, did I not warn you about making a nuisance of yourself?" Madam Pomfrey reminded him.

"What? I was just asking an innocent question!" The blonde insisted, sounding highly insulted. Harry gave a snort only to be immediately shushed by the nurse. "You know, your father would flip out if he knew he was here acting as your guardian." He mused easily, leaning against the wall behind Harry's bed and just to the side in a manner that Harry knew Lucius would scold him for if he was present.

"Why would Father flip?" Harry asked as he stared straight ahead at the Lumos Madam Pomfrey had cast in order to check his eyes.

"Because he doesn't like your High Priest." Draco answered easily. "No offence to you sir." He quickly said to the calm man.

"No offence taken." Sephiran assured with his usual, kind smile.

"But he's never even met High Priest Sephiran." Harry pointed out, frowning slightly at this new piece of information.

"And you had never met Mister Potter before you decided to reject him, am I correct?" Sephiran pointed out.

"That's different!" Harry insisted. "I have reason not to like him; he was awful to my father when they were younger. You've done nothing to my father though. I don't understand why he wouldn't like you. I've never described you in anything but a positive light."

"And that's probably why you're father doesn't like him." Draco replied, leaning over to fiddle with Harry's hair affectionately. "You know how he feels about you; practically worships the ground you walk on. The fact that there's someone out there who you respect and admire just as much or possibly even more than him ticks him off. He's just jealous is all."

"My, what an observant youth you are." Sephiran complimented.

"Not really. I've heard him ranting to Father during the year when Harry's at school." Draco replied with a small grin though whether he was amused at the memory of with the fact he was telling the secret was hard to distinguish.

"That's ridiculous though, how could I possibly admire anyone more than Father?" Harry asked, dutifully not moving his head as instructed by the witch who was still hovering around him, checking him over.

"That's Uncle Sev all over though isn't it?" Draco said with a small shrug, bringing an end to the conversation as he immediately went onto talk about how Lucius had come to find out about Voldemort's plans. Harry washardly listening to that though, he was too busy contemplating this new information he had on his father.

1st November 1987: Midday

Harry shifted uncomfortably in the hard chair he sat in as he waited with Draco for the verdict of Lucius' trial in a corridor outside the court room where the trial was being held. He was half slumped on the blonde haired boy, his head resting on Draco's shoulder and the top half of his body pulled over at the awkward angle, but only because the other boy had refused to let him go for any length of time.

After Harry had been given the all clear by Madam Pomfrey, he had been questioned by the Aurors for about an hour in which he told them everything which had happened...Almost everything. He purposely left out the fact that Voldemort really didn't appear to want to hurt him and he also left out the fact that he had been tricked into actually co-operating with the Dark Lord through lies about his family abandoning him. Why? Because he was embarrassed and ashamed. He was ashamed that he had so easily doubted the love of his family and that he allowed the mark on his forehead to be inflicted on him. It wasn't particularly important in his opinion anyway; they didn't need to know everything exactly.

Once the questioning had been done, the Aurors had left and he and Draco had been able to have some much needed sleep. When they next woke, it was light outside finally. A quick breakfast was eaten by all and then, after dressing and washing all in the Infirmary to avoid the rest of the school's population, Sephiran had taken Harry and Draco to the Wizingamort where all the Death Eater trials were being held. Professor Dumbledore met them a fair distance away from where they were due and then Sephiran left them in order to return to Saint Gwenifwar's as he had left without given instructionsas he had imagined he would still be returning promptly. So, with Dumbledore as their guardian then, they had successfully avoided the notice of the press with the help of a charm and entered the building which they were currently in now.

The first stop of the day had been to the trial of Peter Pettigrew which was the first trial to take place as he had the most damning evidence against him. Harry had been required to give evidence, which he had found horribly daunting but had managed to do well as he kept in mind the fact that it was something that had to be done. The fact that those who questioned him remained kind and un-intimidating also helped. Before he had spoken however, he and the rest of the court heard that in actuality, very few people knew that Pettigrew was a Death Eater. His friends weren't aware of it, Dumbledore and the other staff at Hogwarts weren't aware of it and a good handful of his fellow Death Eaters weren't aware of it which was why he had managed to infiltrate Hogwarts so easily. As soon as the evidence was given, Harry was allowed to leave the court room and was reunited with Draco in the chairs which they were still sitting in at that moment.

It had been planned for them to attend Lucius' trial but they fell asleep and missed it and also slept through Severus' trial as well. They were woken by Dumbledore to eat some lunch and were also told what had happened in the trials. Dumbledore himself had provided testimonies in defense of the two men and if anything was going to save either man it would be that. Lucius had more of a chance of getting through all of this unscathed as he had his rescue of Harry on his side as well.

Back to the present moment, a mere ten minutes since Dumbledore had left them to attend Lucius' verdict and another ten minutes sincethey'd finished their lunch, both boys were feeling antsy from sitting down for so long and from the anticipation of what would happen to their respective fathers. The corridors were completely deserted apart from them, everyone attending a Death Eater's trial or out and about helping in the rounding up of those Death Eaters who had yet to be caught but had been snitched on those who had already been tried. The majority of the press were being kept outside for security reasons mostly but Harry suspected that Dumbledore had pulled a few strings as well so that he and Draco could sit and wait for their fathers without worrying about suddenly being ambushed by questions and the flashing of photography.

"Would you stop squirming?" Draco mumbled, his eyes shut and his cheek resting on top of Harry's unruly hair.

"Sorry but my arm's going numb in this position." The dark haired boy replied, shifting a bit more to try and ease the pressure on his arm. Draco gave a small grunt in answer to that but otherwise didn't pass comment and a short moment of silence passed between them.

"How long's it been since Dumbledore left us?" Draco asked though a yawn.

"About ten minutes or soI think."

"Merlin, how long does it take to say whether someone's guilty or not?"

"You're being awfully calm about all of this." Harry pointed out, finally giving up and pulling away from his best friend in favour of stretching out his tingling arm.

"Do you think my father's innocent?" Draco questioned with another yawn as he stretched his entire body in his chair, raising his arms high above his head and pushing his legs away from him.

"Of course I do Draco!"

"There you go then. I know he's innocent, you know he's innocent, Dumbledore knows he's innocent; they aren't going to find him guilty Harry, you made sure of that when you told the Aurors what happened." The blonde told him easily, finishing his stretch and giving Harry's hand, which was settled on the arm-rest beside him, a gentle pat.

"I'm worried about my father." The dark haired boy murmured quietly, looking down at his knees dejectedly.

Draco frowned lightly at that before he slid off his chair and got onto his knees on the floor. He shifted so he was at Harry's feet and then he leaned forward until he was in the bespecled boy's direct line of sight. "Your father is going to be completely fine Harry. Three years of spying for The Light has to mean something and I bet you anything Dumbledore will make sure it means something. Before you know it, we'll all be back at the manor, sitting in front of a cosy fire and looking back at this time as the bad memory that it is."

"But what if it doesn't work out like that Draco?" Harry asked fearfully, closing his eyes to hold back scared tears. "What if they sentence him and throw him into Azkaban? I don't want my father to go to such a horrible place; he doesn't deserve it."

"If your father is found guilty, and that's a really big if Harry, then I know my father won't stop until the sentence is revoked and Uncle Severus is wandering around free again. And until he is out and free, you'll stay at the manor with father and I." Draco paused and brought his arms up to wrap around Harry's neck loosely. He rose up on his knees a little so their faces were closer together and made sure that he had bright green eyes fixed on him before speaking again. "Three months after my mother died, you made a promise to never leave me and to make sure that you never break that promise and your never forced to leave me, I have to look after you. As long as your by my side Harry, I'll always look after you if only so I don't have to lose you too."

Harry gave Draco a watery smile at that assurance and he wrapped his arms around the blonde in return, pulling them closer and into a tighter hug. In the back of his mind, he scolded himself over and over for believing the lies that Voldemort had told him and allowing himself to be made so vulnerable. He kept his thoughts to himself though and contented himself with the hold he and his best friend were sharing now which made him feel warm and safe and loved.

Then, without warning, the doors of the court room opened. Harry and Draco instantly separated and stood to their feet, watching eagerly as people began to file out of the court room. When it looked like Dumbledore or Lucius weren't going to come out any time soon, the two boy's silently agreed that they were going to have to ask someone.

"Excuse me sir?" Draco said confidently to one of the men who had just left the room as Harry held back, not wanting to draw attention to himself. When the man looked down at him, he continued: "Would you be kind enough to tell me the verdict?"

The man smiled down at him, obviously recognising Draco for who he was. "Not guilty young man." He informed before walking on.

Draco's jaw dropped happily and he stood staring in front of him for a second before turning to face Harry who was watching him nervously. Upon seeing the blonde's expression however, Harry jumped to the right conclusion and his eyes lit up and his own mouth opened wide in a huge smile. At the same time, both boys released loud, happy cheers and rushed towards each other, catching the other in their arms and then jumping up and down excitedly much to the amusement of several people who passed them by.

They calmed themselves down after several jumps and separated before starting to eagerly await the Malfoy patriarch to come out of the court room. Dumbledore came out first, busily talking to a man that Harry recognised as the Minister of Magic from his pictures in the paper occasionally. When the Headmaster noticed Harry watching him, he offered a playful wink before turning all his attention to his conversation though, unless the dark haired boy was mistaken, the elderly wizard hadn't missed the bright smile that he had given in return.

It was literally only a few seconds after that short, silent interaction that Lucius Malfoy appeared from the court room looking as confident and immaculate as ever. Neither of the young boys even hesitated before they each let out another cry of happy excitement and rushed towards the blonde man. None of them seemed too bothered with appearances at that moment, not that there were many left hanging around their immediate area anymore, and Lucius gladly got down on one knee and caught the two boys in his arms when they both launched themselves at him at the same time.

"I knew you'd be all right!" Draco cried happily, pulling away so he could look at Harry. "You see, you were worrying for nothing." He reasoned causing Harry to blush, once again embarrassed by his lack in faith in the people who were his family.

"Well, it was perfectly understandable for you to worry Haryon." Lucius argued gently, giving the dark haired boy a squeeze. "If only so that your little hero act turned out to actually mean something."

"What do you mean?" Draco inquired as he and Harry were released and Lucius stood.

"I mean that there's not much point in saving someone from the Killing curse only to have them die in a cell in Azkaban instead." The blonde man said in a teasing tone.

"You saved Father from the Killing curse!" The young blonde gasped, staring at his best friend in awe. "Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"Would you believe I forgot?" Harry asked sheepishly.

"No."

"Too bad then because it's the truth."

"I refuse to believe you just forgot about saving my father's life." Draco insisted.

"Well I did."

"Wait, why didn't you tell the Aurors you saved him?"

"I did; you slept through that part." Harry reminded with an amused grin.

"I didn't fall asleep during that interview at all. Not once."

"Yes you did! Right near the end. You woke up just in time for them to leave."

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!"

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

"Boys!" With Lucius' call the two boys immediately fell silent. "Do try and remember we are still in a public place; it is unseemly to yell as you were."

"Sorry." Harry and Draco chorused together.

"That's quite all right boys; considering the circumstances such out-bursts are to be expected to a certain extent. Do try to keep up appearances though." The two boys nodded. "Good. Now, I do believe there is a certain Potions Master who will no doubt soon wish to celebrate his returned freedom with his family."

1st November 1987: Afternoon

The verdict regarding Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had been reached. All that was left to do now was to make said verdict and the punishment, or lack there of, public. And Harry was scared; completely petrified. Not quite as scared as he had been the day before but it was incredibly close.

He sat between Professor Dumbledore, on his right, and Draco, on his left. Dumbledore had a comforting hand on his right shoulder while Draco held his left hand in his tightly, appearing to be just as anxious as the dark haired boy. Harry stared out at the court room, unblinking for the most part, watching his father anxiously, his bright green eyes filled with worry and tinted with hope, his right hand held over the lower half of his face, hiding his lips which were rapidly moving as he mouthed a prayer to his Great Lady, pleading with her to make sure that justice was done. He didn't even want to consider what it would be like if his father was sent to Azkaban. It would be beyond terrible. The stories he had heard about the dreadful place; he didn't like the idea of anyone, let alone his father, being in such a forsaken prison.

Silence filled the court room as the judge began to speak:

"Professor Severus Tobias Snape, you have been accused of being a Death Eater, the charges of which you have pleaded guilty. Usually, that would have been enough for a life sentence in Azkaban," Harry felt his heart sink at that. "However, due to testimony from one Professor Albus Dumbledore, respected headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, about your efforts as a spy against He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named over the past three and a half years, the court has seen fit to rule in your favour. Time in Azkaban will not be served but you will be observed closely for a period of five years with bi-monthly meetings to check on you position and state of mind as well as being charged a fine offifty thousand galleons. Professor Snape, you are free to go."

And with a bang of a gavel, Severus' freedom became official.

Harry felt his knees go weak from the swell of emotion that ran through him and he covered his face with his hands, cupping his palms over his glasses, as a shuddered breath left him slowly. When he felt Draco's hand pull his arm to bring them closer, he wordlessly allowed himself to be pulled into a close embrace by the blonde boy, burying his face in the slope of the pale neck. He was aware of the murmured reassurances from Draco, Lucius and Professor Dumbledore but they meant very little to him; he could hardly hear them properly anyway. The blood was pounding in his ears and all he wanted to do was wrap himself around his darling father completely and never let the dark man go.

He allowed himself to be led out of the court room to the corridor outside where they would wait for Severus to come out after he had been released. Harry removed himself from most of the embrace he had been sharing with Draco though the blonde still kept an arm around his shoulders. Behind him, he could hear Lucius telling Dumbledore that he would give/lend-without-expecting-to-be-paid-back Severus the money to pay his fine as, with his teacher's wages, the stotic man would never be able to pay it off. He didn't look as he listened however; his eyes were glued to the doors to the court room.

And then Severus stalked out of those doors, in all his intimidating glory, and Harry's muscles chose that moment to forget how to work. He wanted so badly to run over to his father but his legs wouldn't listen to him. They remained still, keeping him immobile, his feet rooted to the ground. Luckily, that turned out to not be a problem as the moment that the stern man laid eyes on his son, his entire being seemed to shatter and he rushed forward in a move which was totally out of character for him and swept Harry up into his arms upon reaching the small boy. The dark haired boy's legs automatically wrapped around his father's waist as his arms wrapped around his neck but it still took a minute for him to realise what was really going on and, with that realisation, tears began to fall from his eyes quietly before he buried his face against the man who held him, sobbing into his shirt.

"Oh my son..." Severus breathed as he gently rocked the small boy in his arms. "My darling, darling son..."

Harry didn't even bother to reply though it was doubtful that he would have been able to anyway; he just cried silently into his father's shoulder, holding him tightly as if there was a constant threat that he would be snatched away in a second. Absently, he felt a hand patting his shoulder and a soft voice mumbling something though it was addressing his father rather than him but it didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore because he was back with his family and he was safe again.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Harry's life changed drastically from the second of November 1987, the day that he faced the whole of the Wizarding world for the first time after he had defeated Voldemort. A deafening cheer was the sound which greeted him that morning when he walked into the Great Hall for breakfast and both he and his father received more mail than any other time during their lives; letters of congratulations, of praise and some even contained gifts of money which Harry felt guilty about accepting and Severus thought of as charity but Professor Dumbledore made them keep anyway. It was barely mid-morning on that same day that Harry was called to the Headmaster's office in order to set up a suitable time for him to do some interviews for the Press. He was reluctant to agree but he knew that it was something that wasn't going to go away and he needed to deal with it sooner rather than later.

So Harry did the interviews, (with his family) he posed for the pictures, (with his family) and he humbly accepted the gifts that the kind people of the wizarding population had sent him, ranging from money to toys to mere souvenirs. Most of the toys he gave away soon after to the St Mungo's Children's Ward which only increased his publicity much to his despair. Everywhere he went he was recognised but, thankfully, for the most part, was left alone as most adults knew what a strain such fame would have on a young child and they contented themselves with watching and occasionally waving to him. The Press were a completely different story but after one incident involving very angry versions of both Severus and Lucius, they had backed off somewhat. Well, they stopped stalking him at least.

When Harry returned to Saint Gwenifwar's after the Christmas holidays, he was beyond relieved to find that opinion of him hadn't much changed there. Most Elves led separate lives from the Wizarding world so although the whole school knew he had done something, they didn't understand just how amazing it was. His closest friends, Marcia and Rhys, were really the only ones who knew just what he had done, mostly thanks to Rhy's mother, and so they greeted him enthusiastically upon his return. Other than that and the talk he had with Sephiran, his return went mostly un-noticed.

Upon returning to the Wizarding world for The Moon of Martyr, he found that the fuss around him and diminished only ever so slightly. The letters he and Severus received were down to a couple each day and he was no longer stopped whenever he wandered about the school by pupils who wanted to speak to the Boy-Who-Lived.

Over the next year, Harry's life calmed again considerably but it was never the same. There were always a few people who were struck dumb at the mere sight of him and the Press often bugged him if it was a slow news day. Harry figured it was all because he spent such a chunk of the year in the Elven world rather than the Wizarding one; people had learned to calm down and leave him alone because the Press hadn't been able to feed them stories about him constantly. However, if one was to believe that theory then it was understandable that the scarred, dark haired boy was nervous about the autumn of this very year. Why?

This was the year that he would turn eleven years old. This was the year that he would leave Saint Gwenifwar's and Elvish life behind him. This was the year that he would start to attend Hogwarts.

17th July 1989: Afternoon

Harry politely sipped on the cup of tea he had been provided upon entering High Priest Sephiran's office several minutes ago. The man had sent him a message, requesting his presence that morning during breakfast, the last breakfast that Harry would ever have at Saint Gwenifwar's. Today was the last day of the school year and there were several things that Harry could think of as to why the High Priest wished to speak to him but he couldn't decide on just one. So, he sat there patiently as the headmaster went through all the pleasantries before the real issue was reached.

"Now Young Haryon, I imagine you're wondering why I asked you here, besides to drink tea and pass idle chit chat." Sephiran said, changing the topic of conversation abruptly. Harry remained silent but did look on earnestly. "I asked you here this afternoon to tell you of the plans I have arranged with Professor Dumbledore."

"Oh?" Harry asked quietly, un-surely, now really not knowing what to expect.

"It has been arranged that, if you should so wish, I will continue with your lessons and training even when you are attending Hogwarts, without charge of course."

"Really?" The boy asked, his eyes lighting up. "My father agreed to it?"

"Professor Dumbledore used his years of wisdom and experience to convince your father that it was the best course of action and that learning to use a staff and to continue your faith would only help you in the future." The High Priest told him with a smile which implied that Dumbledore did a little more than just "convince" his father.

"I...That's...You're...Thank you High Priest; thank you so much." Harry stumbled over his words before giving his breathy thanks.

"It'll be my pleasure Young Haryon. Your studies will no doubt go a little slower than they would if you attended a Havanist school again, after all we'll only be able to have one lesson a week on Sunday afternoons to begin with, but I shouldn't think that will be a problem. With becoming a Priest now you'll instantly be several years ahead of your current class mates..."

"You're making me a Priest now! But, but...My apprenticeship isn't supposed to end for another five years!" Harry pointed out, his tone filled with disbelief as he couldn't quite believe what he was being offered.

"Yes Haryon, I'm aware of that but I believe that you are more than competent to accept this step. Not only have you proven it over the recent years, inside and outside of school, you have an incredible amount of power for such a young age. Believe me when I say this Haryon, you are more than ready to enter the priesthood. However, if you do not wish to..."

"No, no!" Harry quickly interrupted. "I do want, of course I want to! I just...If you think I'm ready High Priest then I have more than enough faith to believe you."

"Good." The man said with a pleased nod. "In that case, I give you your staff." He stood with that and walked around the desk, coming to a stop in front of Harry's chair where he got down on one knee. Reaching forward, he took Harry's right hand in his and then placed something the boy's palm with his left hand, keeping whatever it was covered with his hand. "I trust you already know how to use it?" Harry nodded, remembering a past lesson when they had learnt the bare beginnings of what becoming a Priest/Priestess involved. "Then feel free to use it and practice with it at any time." With that, Sephiran finally took his hands away, revealing the object he had handed to Harry.

In the boy's palm was a largish pendant attached to a thin silver chain. The pendant wasa small staff, about two inches long, and was made of clear crystal. On the top was a pearl framed either side by crystal wings which stretched out about an inch and a half. It was a beautiful object but Harry knew it was so much more than just a pretty piece of jewellery. Wizards and witches needed wands to channel their magic and Havanist Priests used staves to channel theirs. Usually, a new Priest would receive a simple staff made of metal or wood and semi-precious stones and then when/if they carried on to become a High Priest, they received a staff made of precious metal or rare wood or precious stone.

"This is a High Priest's staff." Harry noted, confused.

"Yes, it is. In fact, it was the staff I received on the day of my Final Blessing." Sephiran told him with a smile.

"I-I can't accept this..." The boy protested.

"Yes you can and you will." The High Priest insisted, taking the pendant from his palm and lifting it to fix it around the boy's neck. "You are the first Priest to be Chosen in over seventy years and that alone is something to take notice of. By far, you're the most talented I have ever encountered and in my humble opinion, a Priest's staff would do you no justice."

"Th-thank you High Priest..." Harry breathed in awe, not knowing what else to say until something suddenly occurred to him. "Seventy years sir? But what about when you were Chosen?"

Sephiran gave him an amused smile as he got to his feet and swept over to the door to his office. He pulled it open before turning to Harry and giving him a mischievous look. "Appearances are very deceptive Young Haryon. I am young in comparison to Elves but I believe to you I should look far older with more wrinkles than I actually do."

"You're over seventy years old?" Harry gasped, clinging to the first explanation he came up with, as he got to his feet, recognising the sign that his meeting with the headmaster was over.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not sharp Haryon." The man told him playfully, gently ushering him out the door. "Now, I believe you have some packing to do and some friends to bid farewell before you're ready to leave. I'll see you in the carriage home."

"You're coming with me?" The boy asked, surprised, as he allowed himself to be moved out of the office. He looked up at the High Priest beside him as he too left the office and locked the door behind him with a key which hung from a thread attached to the sash around his waist.

"Professor Dumbledore has invited me to take tea with him and it was agreed that I would be the one to accompany you home. Now, off we go, there's much to do before we leave." And with that, they both headed off down the corridor.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"That's great Haryon!" Marcia gasped happily upon hearing Harry's news that his Havanist studies would continue as they walked slowly through the corridors of the school for one last time, making their way outside where their respective families/guardians were waiting for them. "You see, I told you were Blessed; the Great Lady has you and now she's not letting you go."

"Right, if you say so." Harry mumbled with a blush.

"And you've already been made a Priest." She gushed, stars almost sparkling in her eyes. "You won't be able to cut your hair anymore but that'll hardly matter; I think you'll look incredibly dashing with beautiful, long, silky hair. And just think, you're the youngest Priest since Saint Morcedai himself though I'm not sure if he counted since there wasn't actually a stable religion at that point..." She trailed off, considering her self-asked question.

"You should be very proud Haryon." Rhys took the conversation up as Marcia seemed to be off in her own little world now.

"I am, though I wish my father would be as well. Somehow, I doubt he will." The dark haired boy sighed before forcing himself to cheer up. "So, what's in store for you now?" He asked his sombre companion.

"My parents are still undecided on my future." The stotic answer came. "My mother wishes for me to learn about Wizarding customs, perhaps somewhere like Durmstrang. My father wishes for me to continue with my Havanist learning."

"No chance of going to Hogwarts with Haryon then?" Marcia inquired, re-entering the conversation.

"Hogwarts was discussed briefly. Under my father's protests the idea was rejected; he believes it is...Far from safe there."

"Hogwarts is the safest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world!" Harry protested. "Why else would my father and I have remained there constantly when Voldemort was out for me?"

"He reasoned that once Voldemort returns, the school will become a target..." Rhys began to explain.

"Woah, wait." Marcia interrupted. "The Dark Lord's coming back? I thought he was dead!"

"He is dead." Harry assured her firmly. "That was just something the newspapers came up with on a slow news day. Voldemort is gone and he isn't coming back."

"And I agree with you." Rhys replied. "Unfortunately, my father doesn't and my mother is already trying hard enough to convince him to send me to a Wizarding school, she dropped the idea of Hogwarts merely so she could focus on the main argument and hopefully make it a little easier to persuade him."

"Where is it you want to go Rhys?" Marcia inquired.

"I have no preference." He replied simply in a voice which ordered for there to be no more questions.

"What's the next step for you Marcia? Are you going to continue with your Apprenticeship?" Harry asked the girl walking beside him.

"Yes, most likely. My father at one point did mention something about enrolling me in a finishing school but my mother quickly said no to that. She wants me to have an actual life outside of whatever family I create to whoever it is my parents arrange for me to marry. Though having just said that, my mother isn't keen on an arranged marriage for me either. I may even find myself allowed to marry whomever I choose." The girl sighed dreamily and Harry could just imagine all the romantic ideals which were now streaming through the silver-blonde girl's head. "I'll be sure to tell you both immediately whenever I find out what's actually going to happen to me and you have to do the same Rhys." She spoke again, giving the long haired boy a pointed look.

"Why?" Rhys asked with a slight wrinkling of his nose.

"Because I want to know what's going on with you when I can't see you to check myself." The girl explained patiently, sounding like a worried mother-hen. "And the same for you Haryon, I want you to write to me too."

"Of course I will." Harry agreed with a smile, pleased that at least one of his friends was enthusiastic about keeping in touch.

"Rhys?" Marcia said again.

"Well I suppose if you two are going to, I'll have to." He said with a resigned sigh though his two friends knew better and could tell it was a mere act; inside, he was as pleased with the idea as they both were.

"Splendid. I'll write to you both in the first week of September then Haryon, you can take your turn the following week and then you Rhys can write on the third week before it goes back to me again." The girl planned excitedly, thinking nothing of ordering the two boys about as she was.

"Sounds fair to me." Harry agreed as the three friends walked out of the front doors of the school finally and entered the surrounding forest.

"Not that I have any choice in the matter but I too agree." Rhys spoke after.

Coming to a stop, the children gathered in a small cluster. In sight of them were their parents and guardians, waiting to take them home, officially ending their time at Saint Gwenifwar's and their time together for the majority of the year. "This is it then." Harry murmured, his head lowering as his eyes fell to look down dejectedly.

"Yeah..." Marcia agreed, sounding tearful.

They all remained silent for a little while, a heavy sadness covering all three of them. Then, abruptly, Rhys looked up with a hardgaze which was obviously there through force of will power on hispart rather than anything else. "Oh for goodness sake, we're being ridiculous! It's not like we'll never speak or see each other again. We'll be writing to each other, we just agreed we would. So we won't be seeing each other everyday, it's not that terrible. We'll see each other again. This isn't goodbye." He told them, the words still sounding encouraging despite the hard tone they were spoken in.

"Rhys is right." Harry sighed. "We'll see each other again and we'll write."

"Okay." Marcia sniffed, not lifting her head to hide the fact she was crying. "I'll hear from you both soon then?"

"Of course." Rhys nodded.

"You bet." Harry agreed with his own nod.

Another silence took over as the three friends hesitated before sharing a three-way hug. They stayed with their arms locked around each other for several minutes before they had to reluctantly part upon feeling several eyes on them. Each looking up, they saw their respective adults who were there to take them home for the last time: Marcia's mother; both of Rhy's parents and Sephiran for Harry. Their arms fell from each other and they spent another minute to look at each other for one last time for quite a while. Then, slowly, they took a step away from each other and turned away at the same time, each walking off in a different direction with heavy hearts but also with a certain amount of hope.

They'd see each other again. Maybe not soon, but one day. This wasn't goodbye for them, it was merely a see you later.

21st July 1989: Afternoon

Draco and Harry lay sprawled out on the dark haired boy's bed in his bedroom in his father's cottage, Draco on his front with an arm cast over Harry's stomach and his head turned so he was looking straight at his best friend. It was a lazy summer afternoon, too hot to do anything too taxing which included movement and thinking too hard. Due to this lazy attitude, the two boys were entertaining themselves with a pointless word game which they often liked to play when there was nothing else to do.

"Quidditch." The blonde boy said through a peaceful sigh.

"Ball." The dark haired boy replied, his green eyed gaze fixed to the white ceiling.

"Yule."

"Log."

"Rotten."

"Tomato."

"Red."

"Gryffindor."

Draco opened his mouth to continue but the sound of their names being called by Lucius somewhere downstairs cut him off before any noise could escape. His mouth shut again and he frowned a little. "What do you think he wants?"

"Only one way to find out." Harry reasoned as he made a move to role off the bed. However, when Draco tightened the arm around his waist, he found himself effectively pinned. "Draco, c'mon, he must've called us for a reason." The dark haired boy pointed out in a playfully whiney voice.

"But I'm comfortable." The blonde protested.

"Well, the sooner we go down and find out what's up, the sooner we can come back up and get comfortable again." Harry reasoned. His best friend still made no sign that he was about to move. "He's not going to pleased if he has to come up and get us." He told him reasonably as he gave the blonde boy a small shove. Still nothing. "Draco!"

Another couple of shakes and Draco groaned irritably before he pulled his arm away from Harry and pushed himself up off the bed. "All right, fine, but I'm going to hold you to that idea of coming straight back up here and getting comfortable again."

"That's fine." Harry grinned as he rolled off the bed, landing on his feet gracefully, and followed Draco over to his bedroom door.

Together the two boys left the room and descended the stairs, Harry remembering that night when Draco and Lucius came to warn him and his father and he and the blonde had gone down the very stairs he was on now though at a much more frantic pace. When they reached the bottom, the dark haired boy peered around the banister to look into the kitchen only to see it was empty. Common sense was then able to tell him that the two men must have been waiting in the living room. Sure enough, a mere three steps forward later and the two boys stood in the doorway into the living room where both their fathers sat patiently on the three-seater sofa against the left-hand wall.

Considering the expression on the two men's faces, neither Harry nor Draco were particularly confident about what the following conversation was going to be about. To the highly trained eye, it was clear that Lucius Malfoy, of all people, was nervous while on the other hand, it didn't take a rocket scientist to realise that Severus Snape was not happy about something and sulking terribly. "Has something happened?" Harry asked carefully, looking from his father to his godfather.

"Not exactly." Lucius replied as he gestured to the boys to sit on the sofa in between him and Severus who was still just sitting there looking ticked off.

Harry shot Draco a quick glance to see if the blonde had any idea of what this was about but he seemed just a bewildered. Wordlessly, the two boys moved over to the sofa and hopped up on top of it, each boy sitting beside their respective father.

Lucius gave Harry a small smile before he looked over to Severus who stubbornly refused to return the gaze. The blonde man gave a distasteful sigh before turning his attention back to Harry. "Haryon, the other day blood-line parchment was officially legalised by the Ministry and we, meaning your father and I, wondered if maybe you would like to have some."

Bright green eyes widened at that and he whipped his head his head to look at his father in horror. "You don't want me anymore?" He gasped, his ever present insecurity causing him to jump to the conclusion that his father wanted him to find out who his real family was just so he could go and live with them.

"No, no, that's not what we meant Haryon." Lucius soothed him when it was clear that Severus was still sulking too much to reassure his son. "We merely thought that you might like to know exactly where you came from. But it's completely your choice; if you don't want to use it then you don't have to."

Harry, who had turned to look at his godfather when the blonde man was speaking, turned back to look at his father. He had completely closed himself off: his expression was neutral, any emotion carefully hidden; his body language screamed unconscious protection of himself, his arms folded over his chest and one leg crossed over the other. "Father?" He asked gently. "Do you want me to do this?"

"If you decide to do this then you'll have both of our full support." Lucius answered for the dark man before giving him a pointed look. "Right Severus?"

"I cannot stop you if it is what you choose." He bit out reluctantly, glaring off to the side, obviously not thrilled with the idea of Harry finding out who his birth parents were. Lucius frowned at the other man again, unimpressed with the selfish attitude he was taking. Harry didn't care though; he was just glad that his father didn't want to get rid of him.

"I don't want to." He told them all confidently.

"Are you sure Haryon? If your worried about what will happen afterwards..." Lucius began to say.

"It's not that." Harry assured. "My birth parents, whoever they are, didn't want me, and I don't want them. I have a family already, I know who I am, I don't need to know any more."

"If you're concerned about my opinion on this..." Severus began to say, prompted by the positively venomous look that Lucius was giving him.

"No, it's not that." Harry assured, lying through his teeth but as he was keeping the peace he thought it was justified. "I know that if I did decide to find out about my past then you'd stand behind me even if you weren't happy about it. I'm perfectly happy with things the way they are though; I don't need two strangers in my life to pretend to be my family."

"As long as you're sure?" Lucius checked one final time and Harry noticed that the man's tone now had a very definite relieved quality to it.

"Positive." The dark haired boy confirmed with a confident smile.

"Right, now that that's over, can we go now?" Draco spoke up for the first time in the conversation, sounding slightly impatient.

"Yes, you can go. We'll be staying for dinner after all." Lucius told his son and the moment the last word was past his lips, Draco grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him off the sofa and out of the living room, back up to the dark haired boy's bedroom, leaving the two men to the argument which was just waiting to blow up.

28th July 1989: Mid-Morning

On slightly unsteady feet, Harry stepped out of Olivander's looking rather pale and followed quickly by a worried looking Draco. The bright, summer sunlight of the outside should have really had more of an affect on the two boys as they had just come out from the dark shop after spending quite some time in there but if they were bothered by the light then they made no sign to show it.

"Harry? Are you okay?" The blonde asked carefully.

"Yeah...Yeah, I'm fine." Harry assured sounding rather confused.

"Are you sure? If you're really that uncomfortable with your wand I'm sure we'd be able to get you another if we go back..." Draco started to say, glancing back over his shoulder to the shop doorway a few steps behind them.

"No, no, it's okay, there's no need to make a fuss." The dark haired boy insisted, forcing his voice to sound more sure and normal. "I was just a bit surprised; I never expected something like this is all."

"All right...As long as you're sure?"

"Positive."

"Fine, let's go find Father and Uncle Sev then." Draco suggested/ordered as he began forward again, tucking his own new wand into an inside pocket in his robes. Harry hesitated a moment, sparing a glance at his own wand, before copying his best friend and then hurrying to catch the other boy up.

Keeping within the nature of a Malfoy, Harry and Draco were in Diagon Alley getting their school supplies way before anyone else would be so they could avoid any huge crowds. They hadn't received their Hogwarts letters yet but what with Severus being a teacher there, he already knew what supplies they'd be required to posses and it was a certainty that both boys would be getting letters. The two adults had gone off to Gringotts themselves while the two boys were being fitted in Madame Malkins and had instructed them that if they hadn't returned by the time the boys were done they were to go on to get their wands on their own. If after that they still hadn't returned, the boys were to go and meet them at Gringotts; such was the situation now.

Harry followed along behind Draco mechanically, his mind firmly on the subject of his wand. His wand was the same as Voldemort's, (basically). Its brother wand as Olivander had said. Now, there were two ways that could be read. On the surface, mere coincidence. Dig a little deeper and people might start saying it was meant to be, Fate, Destiny etc etc. Harry, quite honestly, didn't care whether it was coincidence or Fate. What he did care about was how this connected him to Voldemort.

Did his wand connect him to Voldemort? He wanted to say no, he really did. He didn't want to be anything like the horrible man who had lied to him and manipulated him and who would've tried Goddess knows what if he had been given the chance. And yet he already was connected to him in a way; he would forever have the horrible scar on his forehead as a reminder of the man and now he had the evil man's "brother wand" as well. But really, did it connect him to Voldemort? He honestly had no idea.

So lost in thought was the dark haired boy that he failed to see the other person who was heading straight towards him. In the space of five seconds, he had collided quite roughly with this other person and sent them both falling back, the stranger's bags falling too and landing with several soft thuds.

"Oomph!" Harry gasped as he went crashing backwards, falling down heavily onto his backside.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Draco yelled at the short, dark haired boy who Harry had collided with as he went to help his best friend up.

"Draco don't, it was my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going." Harry insisted as he accepted the blonde's out-stretched hand with his own right as his left came up to readjust his glasses which had gone a bit wonky from the fall. "Sorry about that, I was in a world of my own." He directed to the boy who was busy gathering up his dropped items. "Would you like some help?"

"No, it's all right, I'm good." The younger boy assured as he picked up his last bag. "And there's no need to apologise; it was as much fault mine as yours. My name's John by the way."

"Nice to meet you John. I'm Haryon and this is my friend Draco." Harry introduced to the shorter boy with the same dark hair as himself.

"Haryon? As in The Boy-Who-Lived Haryon?" John gasped, his eyes widening.

"Erm...Yeah."

"Oh wow, I can't believe I'm actually meeting you! I mean, you're just...You're just...You're just so...Wow!" The boy said with wide eyes, clearly in awe much to Draco's satisfaction and Harry's embarrassment. "It's your birthday soon isn't it? On the thirty-first."

"Looks like you've got yourself a stalker." Draco murmured in Harry's ear.

"Shut up and be nice." Harry scolded his friend before turning his attention to their new acquaintance. "So who are you here with? Surely not on your own right?" He inquired, intentionally steering clear of conversations about him personally.

"I'm here with my father and godfather. We just came to get some office supplies for my father and then, well, my godfather kind of went nuts in the sweet shop." He said with a small smile, jostling his bags to emphasise his point.

"Oh well, what other uses do godfathers have beside spoiling us every so often." Harry grinned and John returned it with equal enthusiasm.

"Are you both here with your parents'?" The younger dark haired boy asked.

"Yes. Actually, we're both in the same situation as you; here with our fathers and godfathers. My father is Draco's godfather and his father is mine. They're getting some money out of Gringotts while we went to get our wands." Harry explained.

"Oh wow, you've actually got your own wands now. You're so lucky! I can't wait 'til I can get my first one."

"How old are you then?"

"Just turned nine in June." John told him proudly.

"Harry, can we go now please? We still have more stuff to get you know." Draco interrupted suddenly, obviously too bored and frustrated to remain silent any longer.

"Oh all right I suppose so." Harry agreed with a slight frown, not impressed with his best friend's manners. He turned his attention back to John and smiled at him. "As you heard, we have to be off now but it was very nice to meet you John."

"It was great to meet you too Haryon. I can't wait to tell my mum and sister, they'll be so jealous." John grinned excitedly. "I'd best be off too, have to try and find where Uncle Sirius and father went off to."

The smile drained from Harry's face at that and he blinked a few times. "Sirius Black?"

"You know him?" John asked, that idea obviously exciting him all the more, just as a call came from their left.

"John! There you are!" All three boys looked over to see a young, healthy looking man with shoulder length black hair and deep blue eyes jogging his way over to them. "I've been looking all over the place for you. You shouldn't wander off you know, yourdad would kill me if I lost you."

"Sorry Uncle Sirius." John replied, not sounding in the least bit sorry. "I was completely fine though, I was just talking to Haryon and Draco here." He gestured towards where Harry and Draco were now scowling darkly at them both.

"You're Sirius Black?" Draco asked, his tone cold and hard.

"Yeah." The man confirmed uncertainly.

Harry stepped forward then until he was about ten centimetres away from the man, his glare never relaxing in the least. "You, sir, are the most despicable man in the world. James Potter may of tormented my father and made his life a misery for seven years but at least he never tried to kill him! And to show little remorse afterwards. I'm surprised you weren't a Death Eater; you're certainly nonchalant about killing enough to be one."

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice came and the small group looked to see James Potter had just arrived to the scene.

"Ugh, why does the Great Lady continue to throw you into my life?" Harry groaned, slipping his finger-tips underneath his glassed to rub his eyes as he wandered back over to Draco, further away from James Potter.

"It's because he has no life." Draco replied casually, glancing at his fingernails. "He had no life at Hogwarts so he tormented Uncle Sev and now he's moved onto you."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute. Uncle Sev? Sev as in Severus? Snivellus is your uncle!" Sirius cried, sounding awfully amused as though it was the funniest idea in the world.

"He's my godfather actually." Draco corrected him with a scowl.

"And he's my father." Harry added proudly.

"Your father? Someone actually married Snivellus? Oh, that's rich!" Sirius laughed.

"How dare you!" Harry growled, his muscles tensing in anticipation of him taking a step forward. However, a large warm hand landed on his shoulder and held him back before he could eve lift a foot.

"Haryon? Is everything all right?" The rich, deep voice of Severus asked gently, instantly calming Harry's nerves.

"Yes Father, everything's fine. Draco and I just bumped into some very rude people is all." He answered casually, looking up at his father and giving him a small smile and noticing that Lucius was, predictably, here as well, standing next to Draco.

"You actually have a son Snape? And there was me thinking you were a twenty-eight year old virgin." Sirius smirked.

"I have already had this conversation with two of your friends Black; I suggest you start talking to them more often before you can embarrass yourself further by broadcasting your ignorance. Though after all these years, I'm starting to think it's something you can't actually help since every word that comes out of your mouth is sheer stupidity." Severus sneered and then turned himself and Harry around before there was a chance for any reply to be given and walked away, following Lucius and Draco who were taking the lead.

"Well, I must say that I never expected to see you both speaking to that sort." Lucius drawled teasingly as Harry and Severus caught them up and came to walk beside them. "I can hold no responsibility for Haryon's actions but Draco, I thought I'd taught you better."

"Wasn't my fault." The younger blonde muttered. "He was the one who insisted on spending the whole afternoon talking to Potter's son."

"I was being polite!" Harry protested. "And anyway, it's not like I knew who he was beforehand."

"Yes, well, no harm was done and I must admit I quite enjoyed seeing Black told off by my ten year old son." Severus said with an amused tone and a slight smirk.

"Almost eleven; only three more days to go." Harry pointed out, the confrontation from only moments ago forgotten in an instant.

"Yes, in perfect time for your new pet familiar to be delivered to our house." The dark man mused and Harry looked up at him with wide, excited eyes. Severus smiled down at him as they joined hands, Harry giving his larger one a firm squeeze. "Convenient how that worked out, don't you think?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

4th September 1989: Mid-Day

It was the day. The most important day in a young wizard's or witch's life; it was the day that the Hogwarts Express left for Hogwarts to take students, young and old alike, to one of the best schools of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. And this year, it was Harry and Draco's turn to head off for the first time.

Harry followed along behind Lucius and beside Draco as they made their way across the platform having just had all their luggage put aboard the train for them, including Harry's new owl Hedwig and Draco's cat Elincia who he was taking as his familiar. None of them had seen any point of Severus coming to see them off as he'd see them again in a mere few hours, so it was Lucius' job to take on his own. Not that any of them were complaining; there was nothing to really complain about.

As they walked along, all three were more than aware of the stares and looks they were attracting but they weren't surprised by them in the least; considering who they all were it would've been far more surprising if they weren't gaped at openly. That fact didn't help make Harry any more comfortable though. He just wanted to blend into the background and stay there, not have everyone notice him and whisper about him.

"Now," Lucius said as he brought the two boys to a stop as they were now only a few feet away from one of the entrances onto the train and the time to say goodbye had come. "Severus and I have already spoken to you about how we both expect you both to behave so I won't make you listen to it all again. I will, however, remind you both to keep up appearances, especially you Draco; you have certain standards to live up to."

"Yes Father." Draco assured obediently.

"And you Haryon, you have to live up to the same standards. Just because you have a different last name makes you no less of a Malfoy." The blonde man told him in his cold, we're-in-public-so-I-have-to-act-like-an-uncaring-meanie voice.

"Yes Uncle Lucius." Harry agreed with a small nod.

"Very well then." Lucius said with a prim nod. "I will see you both at Christmas and I'll write to you both during the year of course."

"Of course. Goodbye Father." Draco bid politely, shaking his father's hand warmly.

"See you soon Uncle Lucius." Harry said as he took his turn to shake the older man's hand, intentionally not saying goodbye; he hated the word "goodbye", it sounded so horribly final. He always imagined his birth mother must have whispered goodbye to him the night she abandoned him in that alleyway.

Without further word, Harry and Draco turned from Lucius and climbed onto the train, the blonde going on first and the dark haired boy following on behind. They took a few steps in the corridor so that they weren't blocking the entrance way and spent a few minutes waving to Lucius as the last of the students got on and the train began to pull away. As soon as the train began to move, they moved on, allowing space for others to give their parents a few last farewells.

"Did Uncle Sev give you any money for when the trolley comes around?" Draco inquired as the two boys moved along, peering into compartments as they went to try and find an empty one for them to share.

"No, he said that it'd ruin my dinner. I think it was rather mean of him to tell us about it and then say I can't take advantage of it." Harry sighed.

"Don't worry, Father gave me more than enough for the both of us. We could probably actually afford the whole trolley with the amount he gave me." Draco assured as they moved on to yet another compartment.

Harry said nothing to that revelation and kept his opinion silent. Naturally, he was no psychologist, but he thought that it was painfully obvious that his godfather was doing one of two things. He was either over-compensating for the loss of Draco's mother's love with material things or it was Lucius' way of expressing his own love to his son as it was clear the man had physical affection issues. After all, the last time Harry ever saw Lucius give Draco a hug was when Narcissa died. Since then all Draco's cuddles had come from Harry which was why they did it so often he imagined.

"Ah, here's one." Draco's voice suddenly broke into Harry's thoughts and, turning his attention back onto reality, he discovered that, indeed, they now stood outside an empty compartment. Without even thinking about it, Harry pulled the door open despite the fact that Draco was closer to it, though the blonde made no move to open it, and went to step in. However, he stopped when a call drew his attention away.

"Draco!" A female voice called from down the corridor and, looking, the two boys both saw a black girl in expensive robes waving over to them, or more accurately to Draco.

"Hello Bethany." Draco greeted in return, sounding neither particularly enthusiastic or annoyed and cold.

"Come sit with us; we're all in here." The girl insisted, beckoning him over with her hand.

Now that caught the blonde's attention and his body language just screamed that he just wanted to go over there and join his other friends, the ones that he had met during his primary schooling. It wasn't uncommon for pure-blooded families to share tutors among their children so that they could work on their social skills and make connections with the right people at an early age. However, at this moment, Draco seemed more inclined to stay with Harry who had been his best friend since practically the day he was born, though it was clear it was more out of loyalty than anything else.

"Go ahead." Harry said kindly upon realising his best friend's dilemma, giving Draco's shoulder a small nudge with his own.

"Why don't you come with me?" The blonde suggested earnestly, turning to take hold of the dark boy's hand, intending to drag him along.

"Because you and I both know that I don't care one ounce for the people who you call your friends. Remember all those painful birthday parties?" He reminded as he gently pulled his hand out of his best friend's. "It would just be uncomfortable for all if I tagged along; best all around if I don't."

"I'll come sit with you then." Draco insisted.

"Draco Malfoy, you are going to go and sit with your friends because I know that's what you want to do. You've spent the entire summer with me and you haven't seen any of them in months. Go and spend some time with them." Harry practically ordered.

"But you'll be on your own." The blonde boy protested, albeit rather weakly now.

"Doesn't matter; the alone time might even do me some good."

"But..."

"Draco." The dark haired boy said sternly, giving the other boy a pointed look. Draco gave a small sigh and Harry had to fight back the grin which wanted to spread across his face; he'd won.

"You come and find us the second you get lonely." Draco ordered in his own stern tone, giving his best friend a determined look.

Harry smiled at him cheerfully. "Of course." The fact that he wasn't going to get lonely made giving that assurance all the easier.

"All right then." The blonde said grudgingly. "I'll see you later then. Meet me when you get off, we'll share a boat."

"If you want to." The dark haired boy agreed, prepared for the other boy to completely forget his offer or decide he wanted to share a boat with his other friends. Draco may have been Harry's best friend and he may have loved the blonde with all his heart but the boy could sometimes be far too spoiled and selfish for his own good.

With a few more goodbyes between the two, Draco walked down to the compartment his friends had disappeared into and, after one more quick wave to Harry, he pulled the door open and disappeared inside. Harry smiled to himself slightly before slipping inside the empty compartment next to him, carefully shutting the door behind himself. Once he had settled himself into his seat, leaning his back against the side of the compartment just next to the window with his legs stretched out across the rest of the seats, he pulled out a small, dark ink-green leather bound book from the inside of his robes to read.

The book was a sort of beginners guide to being a Havanist Priest with starter details on how to use his staff and the new prayers he'd have to memorise. Sephiran had sent it to him on his birthday with a note apologising for the fact he was sending what was basically a school book as a birthday present. Harry hadn't minded in the least, he was glad for anything which would help him with his Havanist themed learning. Also, having knowledge of another sort of magic besides that which needed a wand and a Latin incantation could be nothing but an advantage, especially when considering just who he was and the situation he'd once found himself in with a certain Dark Lord.

Harry hadn't been alone and reading for more than five minutes before the sound of yelling broke his concentration, interrupting his reading. He swung his legs over the side of the seat so he was sitting properly and looked up just in time to see the door to his compartment fly open and two identical, ginger-haired boys stumble in before slamming the door shut behind them.

"If anyone asks..." One of the boys began to say as he stood up on the edge of the vacant seat and hauled himself up onto the luggage rack above.

"...You haven't seen us." The other boy, obviously the other's twin brother, finished off the sentence as he copied his brother, using the edge of the seat Harry was on to give himself a boost and pulling himself up onto the luggage rack opposite the other, above Harry. Together, the two ginger boys then huddled against the side that the door was located in as much as possible, pulling their legs up to their chests tightly.

Harry looked up at them, more than a little bewildered, until he noticed out of the corner of his eye that there was someone at the door of the compartment again. Turning his attention onto the third newcomer, the dark haired boy recognised the person now opening the door to be Percy Weasley, Bill and Charlie's younger brother who was now in Third Year. Percy looked more than a little flustered, his face bright red and his body sagging a little as he tried to catch his breath, and rather cheesed off as well.

"You haven't seen two twin boys running around insanely have you? Both ginger, both loud, often finish one another's sentences." The older Weasley inquired once he'd concluded that the ones he was looking for were, apparently, not in this compartment.

"Erm, no, can't say that I have. Sorry Percy." Harry answered politely, keeping up a good act and not sounding in the least like he was lying through his teeth; which he was.

Percy frowned at that and looked as though he was about to come inside when another ginger head popped up behind him. "Alright there Harry." Charlie greeted with a playful smile as he glanced around the compartment. "Not seen our little brothers have you? About, so high," he held up his hand to up to his elbow, "answer to the names of Fred and George?"

"Just told Percy, I'm afraid I can't help." The dark haired boy answered again looking suitably sorry that he could be of no assistance.

"I could've sworn I saw them come in here." Percy muttered, once again going to step into the compartment. However, he was stopped when his older brother's hand pulled on his shoulder.

"You must've been mistaken Perce; you know as well as I do that if Harry had seen anything he'd have told us." Charlie insisted. "Ain't that right Harry?"

"Of course." Harry replied.

"There, you see. Come on, it's not like they jumped off the train, they're around here somewhere." Charlie told his younger brother in a soothing voice as he steered the boy our of the door way and back into the train's corridor. "We'll see you at the Sorting Harry." He smiled before sliding the door shut again and going off with Percy.

Silence reigned for several moments before one of the twins raised their heads and peered down cautiously. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah, they're gone." Harry confirmed, settling back into his seat the way he had before.

Both of the ginger boys released relieved sighs before climbing down from the luggage racks with a sort of monkey-like grace. They landed on the floor of the compartment at the same time and then moved so they were perfectly in line with the seats opposite Harry. Together, they collapsed into the seats lazily before beaming identical, mischievous smiles at the bespecled, dark haired boy. "Hi." They greeted at the same time.

"Hi." Harry returned, a little bemused but still remaining friendly.

"Thanks for that by the way." The twin on the left hand side said.

"Yeah, dread to think what they would've done if they'd caught us." The other twin added.

"We didn't even do anything that bad."

"Some people just have no sense of humour."

Harry blinked a couple of times, slightly confused/un-nerved by the twin's double act before giving them a small smile. "You're Bill's, Charlie's and Percy's younger brother's then?" He asked politely for lack of anything better to say.

"Yep." The two nodded together.

"I'm Fred." The twin on the left spoke.

"And I'm George." The other twin said afterwards.

"You're Haryon right?" Fred checked with a smile to which Harry merely nodded.

"Bill told us a lot about you." George revealed.

"All good stuff of course."

"Says he hopes you'll have a good influence on us."

"Though we'll probably corrupt you before you reform us." The two twins laughed at that.

Harry really wanted to ask whether the two boys actually practiced saying things together and finishing off each other's sentences but he didn't want to appear impolite or cause any offence. He doubted they did anyway; it would be impossible to plan for every conversation they would ever have after all.

"So," George said abruptly, grinning at Harry again. "We hear that your dad's the meanest teacher at Hogwarts."

Fred grinned as well, leaning forward eagerly, his elbows resting on his knees. "How's that for ya?"

4th September 1989: Evening

Harry was probably the only new First Year who wasn't gaping at his surroundings as he entered the Great Hall with his new Year mates. He'd seen it all before after all, it was nothing new to him. In the double line they were all walking down the aisle down the centre of the hall, he was positioned behind Fred and George and to the right of Draco, who had kept to his word and had, indeed, shared a boat with the dark haired boy. The blonde hadn't been too pleased about having to share it with Fred and George as well but Harry and quickly been able to hush him by discreetly lacing his fingers with Draco's so that they had been holding hands loosely.

Looking up, he saw his father at the front of the hall sitting with all the other teachers. Rather than calm him as one would assume his father's presence would do, it only served to increase the fluttering feeling in the pit his stomach. He had a serious dilemma on his hands. He really, seriously, completely, didn't want to make Slytherin and he wasn't sure if his family would understand why. A few months ago, he'd been hoping for Slytherin as it would be where Draco would end up and it was his father's House as well. But then he had abruptly remembered one very important fact which changed everything:

Voldemort had been in Slytherin when he had attended Hogwarts.

And if there was one thing which Harry truly didn't want, it was to be anything like that monstrous snake. So now, he was hoping for Ravenclaw; nice and neutral and friendly with everyone.

Abruptly, the large group of eleven year olds began to fan out as they reached the front of the Great Hall. Harry followed as Fred and George shifted over to the right and was pleased when he noticed that Draco followed them as well. They were still shifting into position when Professor MaGonagall began to speak to them, explaining what was about to happen. While she was speaking, Harry allowed his eyes to wander across the space around him and everyone else. It was because of that lack of attention that he missed a good chunk of the Sorting and was only brought back into reality when Draco moved from his side.

The Sorting Hat had barely been put on the blonde's head before the call of "Slytherin" echoed throughout the Great Hall. Cheering erupted at the Slytherin table while the other three tables clapped politely. Draco got to his feet gracefully, a superior smirk on his face, and moved over to the table of his new House. Harry watched him go with a slightly sick feeling in his stomach; he wasn't sure why, but knowing for sure that Draco was in Slytherin made him feel worse. Not that there had ever been any doubt that the blonde would be put in Slytherin though.

Several more people were called up to the front in order to be Sorted and Harry only got more nervous as it happened. What would happen when he wasn't Sorted into Slytherin? What if he didn't make Ravenclaw either? He really couldn't see himself as a Hufflepuff and he really didn't want to be in Gryffindor...Maybe he should just be put in Slytherin, it would probably save a lot of hassle in the long run. He could just put his feelings aside surely.

"Snape, Haryon." McGonagoll call suddenly came and Harry released a low, slightly shuddered breath as he felt himself be gently nudged along by Fred and George.

A hush of anticipation fell over the entire Great Hall as Harry stepped forward. With a glance over his shoulder, the dark haired boy noticed the Weasley twins giving him the thumbs up from the rest of the crowd of new First Years. Then his eyes flickered over to the Gryffindor table where he spotted Charlie and Percy giving him the same signal. He sighed a little, glancing over at the Slytherin table where Draco was watching him eagerly, as he stepped up to the stool. In an act of grace which surprised himself greatly, he perched up on the stool in one, fluid movement. Back straight, knees together, ready and waiting as his family had instructed, he awaited the female teacher beside him to place the hat on his head.

The moment the small weight landed on his head, a voice started to speak. "Ah, yes...Right...Hmm, difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness yes; and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting...So, where shall I put you...Perhaps Slytherin?"

"No!" Harry cried out in his mind. "No, please, not Slytherin." He couldn't do it, he wasn't strong enough. He couldn't be in the same House as Voldemort had.

"Are you sure? You could be great, you know. It's all here, in your head, and Slytherin will definitely help you on your way to greatness..."

"Not Slytherin, anywhere but Slytherin." He couldn't be in the same House as Voldemort had, he didn't want to be any more like him.

"Hmm, alright, better make it..."

Anywhere but Slytherin, anywhere but Slytherin...

"...Gryffindor!"

...Or Gryffindor.

Harry felt his stomach turn to lead as the name of his new House rang out clear and loud. The Gryffindor table wasted no time in breaking out in ecstatic cheering and applause, beyond happy to have the famous Boy-Who-Lived as part of their happy House. Others from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw clapped politely, neither excited nor bitter, but happy for the Boy-Who-Lived, everyone's friend even if they had never met before. The Slytherin table, however, remained completely silent. No one spoke, no one clapped and the tense atmosphere which surrounded that entire area seemed to radiate from the newly Sorted Malfoy who was glaring over at Harry with the most intensity that he ever had. At the head table, all the teachers applauded just a little more enthusiastically than with any of the other students. All except one. Severus Snape simply sat there frowning and stubbornly keeping his arms crossed.

All this registered in Harry's mind as he left the stool, feeling rather numb, and made his way over to the Gryffindor table where he was immediately smothered in a pile of people who wanted to shake his hand or ruffle his hair or introduce themselves. Despite all the hubbub going on around him however, the dark haired boy could still feel the cold gaze of his best friend on the back of his head and he was only too aware of the sour mood his father was now in.

Maybe it really would've just been easier to have been put in Slytherin.

5th September 1989: Morning

Harry yawned tiredly as he plodded back into his dorm room which he shared with Fred and George and another two boys whose names he hadn't yet learnt. He was fresh from the shower in the bathroom he shared with the other Gryffindor boys, fully dressed in his school uniform and robes and carry a slightly wet towel over his right arm.

Harry's first official night as a Hogwarts student hadn't exactly been restful. It had taken him an absolute age to drift off to sleep and, once he had finally managed that, a few mere hours had passed before he had woken up again to once more not be able to go to sleep. He must have only gotfive or six hours of sleep at the most having gone to bed at about half past nine and to finally getting up at about half past six. It was his damn tendency to worry which had kept him up. He was so worried about his father's and Draco's reactions to him being Sorted into Gryffindor. Stupid Sorting Hat. Why couldn't it have put him in Ravenclaw or even Hufflepuff for goodness sake! Hufflepuff would have been better than Gryffindor; at least it was somewhat more neutral.

Moving across the dark room silently, Harry folded his towel neatly and, upon reaching it, placed it back inside his trunk. Then, he moved around to the side of his bed and yanked off all the sheets so that he could set about making it. It was after a few minutes, when he was in the middle of straightening out the thick blanket which went on top of the thinner sheet, that a loud yawn broke the almost-silence of the room.

"What time is it?" One of the twins, Fred judging from the direction the voice was coming from, asked once the yawn had ended.

"Probably coming up close to seven o'clock." Harry answered quietly, respectful of the fact the other occupants of the room were still asleep.

"Ugh, 'spose I better get up then." Fred grunted as he threw the covers off of himself and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Harry paid him no mind, concentrating on finishing off the position of his comforter before he began work on the placement of the pillow, until the ginger twin spoke. "What are you doing?"

Harry paused mid-plump and looked up at the boy who had spoken. "Making my bed, what else does it look like?"

"Well, yeah, I know that much." Fred said with a slightly amused grin. "I meant why are you bothering to make your bed at all? That's the house-elves' job here. And even if it wasn't, why are you doing it the Muggle way? You've got a wand now."

"It's a force of habit I suppose." The dark haired boy said a little sheepishly. "We always had to make our beds first thing at my old school."

"Oh yeah, Bill mentioned that. Some religious Elvish school wasn't it?"

"The Saint Gwenifwar School of Havanist Youth; yeah."

"Did you like it there?" The ginger boy inquired curiously.

"Yeah, it was fun. All the teachers were really nice and easy going and the majority of the other students were nice. I'm going to continue my lessons you know?" Harry told his new friend with an excited smile. "Every Sunday afternoon, High Priest Sephiran will come to tutor me in Professor Dumbledore's office."

Fred wrinkled his nose. "Extra work? Not my sort of thing but whatever makes you happy and all that." He paused and yawned before standing up and heading out of the room. "Could you do me a favour and wake George? We'll all head down to breakfast early so we don't miss all the good stuff."

"We'll all?" Harry echoed, slightly surprised.

"Yeah, you, me and George unless you've already planned something?" He asked, pausing and glancing over his shoulder. Harry shook his head a little. "There you go then." Fred said with a grin as he started out of the dorm room again. Harry watched the ginger boy until he left with a small smile on his face before turning and making his way over to George in order to wake him up for breakfast.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"What lesson have we got first?" George asked as he and his twin wandered down a corridor with Harry by his side.

"Transfiguration with Professor McGonagoll." Harry read off of the time table he held in his hands.

"When's the first time we have a Potions lesson?" The red head inquired, leaning close to Harry and trying to get a better look at the piece of parchment in the dark haired boy's hands.

"After lunch." Harry sighed lightly just as Fred jabbed his brother in the side with a small frown.

"Don't worry about it mate, I'm sure your dad isn't that mad about you being Sorted into Gryffindor." Fred reassured, encouraging a look of realisation to bloom on George's face.

"Yeah, he probably doesn't even care that much." George added earnestly, not having meant to remind their new friend of his worry over his father's reaction.

Harry smiled a little at their efforts and tried to reassure them with a smile which, although was forced, appeared convincing. "I wouldn't go that far but maybe you're right; I hope you're right anyway."

The two red haired boys smiled back at him and Harry was pretty certain that he had managed to put a rest to their fears. Unfortunately, his fears were very much a reality. He was afraid of what his father's opinion of him was now, he was worried that him being a Gryffindor would be too much for the man, he was worried that he wouldn't be loved anymore. And that was exactly the same case with Draco, because the blonde had appeared to be less than pleased with his Sorting too.

A loud, obnoxious laugh caught Harry's attention abruptly and he turned around to see a small group of Slytherins, First Years, walking down the same corridor as he and Fred and George, a couple of feet behind. What caught his eye the most though was the head of bright, blonde hair which was in the centre of the cluster and could only belong to one person; one person that Harry knew he had to talk to despite the fact he'd rather have a friendly cup of tea with Voldemort more at that moment.

"I'll catch you guys up in a minute." Harry assured his two friends as he turned to hurry off to speak to Draco.

The twins took a moment to look behind before they both gave Harry a small nod. "See you in a minute then." They chorused together. Harry gave them both a small smile before he turned and dashed off towards the group of Slytherins.

As the dark haired boy approached the group, they dropped into silence and regarded him with a cold distaste which was more then evident in all of their expressions. Harry slowed to a stop about a foot away from them and, trying his best to ignore the hard glares he was getting from the entire group, he allowed his gaze to settle on Draco who was also glaring at him though with less intensity.

"Can I, uh, can I talk for a second Draco?" He asked somewhat awkwardly, un-nerved by all the stares and glares.

"Draco doesn't want to talk to you anymore, not after what you did." The dark skinned girl, that Harry recognised as Bethany Zabini, sneered. Harry frowned a little at that; it wasn't like Draco to allow other people to speak for him...

"I'll see you all in the Great Hall." Draco said abruptly, not taking his eyes off of Harry.

"What? But Draco, he..." Bethany began to protest.

"I said, I'll see you in the Great Hall." The blonde repeated himself, his tone more firm and commanding, but his eyes still didn't move off of the nervous dark haired boy in front on them all. None of the other Slytherins seemed particularly keen on the idea of leaving but they had little choice in the matter. With a last glare in Harry's direction, the other six or seven eleven year olds began to file past the dark haired boy. When one sandy-brown haired boy shoved his way past Harry, he intentionally knocked into the dark haired boy's shoulder rather roughly. "Spari." Draco said in a warning tone. The boy said nothing in reply, merely shot another glare in Harry direction as the shorter, spectacled boy rubbed his slightly sore shoulder.

"Erm, thanks." Harry said shyly, allowing the hand which was soothing his shoulder to fall to his side again.

A small moment of silence passed as Harry tried to think of a way to start what he wanted to say. The silence was broken however when Draco gave a small sigh. "I do have friends waiting for me." He reminded with the sneer in his voice which Harry had heard plenty of times before but never directed at him.

"Please don't be like this Draco." Harry murmured quietly, un-used to such confrontation with someone he cared about. Bullies he could handle, but arguing with someone who he cared about so much was horrible and heart-wrenching. "I didn't turn down Slytherin to hurt you."

"You turned down Slytherin!" Draco asked, shocked horror in his voice. "And there was me just thinking that you were just a natural Gryffindor. Now I know that you're there because you don't think Slytherin is good enough for you."

"Oh Draco, for goodness sake!" Harry cried, losing his patience. "You want to know why I turned down Slytherin? Because of Voldemort. Voldemort was a Slytherin when he attended Hogwarts." He paused for a moment to calm himself down so that he spoke rationally and didn't cause an even bigger argument by saying something he didn't mean. "I don't hold it against everyone; I'm pleased you made Slytherin just like you wanted to, but I can't do it Draco. I can't have another constant reminder of him, I can't live in a place where I'd be continuously wondering if I was sleeping in the same room as he had once or sitting in the same chair as he has before...I know I've disappointed you and Father and no doubt Uncle Lucius too but I can't live like that Draco, I'm not strong enough..."

Draco remained silent for several moments before giving a small sigh and closing the gap between him and Harry, flinging his arms around the dark haired boy. "I'm sorry I was a jerk about it, I never knew you felt that way." The blonde drew back but didn't remove his arms and gave the dark haired boy a small grin. "Though why you couldn't be a Ravenclaw I'll never know."

Harry gave a small laugh before his smile faded again and worry returned. "Father looked less than happy about my Sorting."

"He's just a bit miffed is all. As soon as you explain your reasons to him he'll probably be glad you weren't put in Slytherin. He wouldn't want you to be somewhere where you didn't feel entirely comfortable and having said that, neither do I. It's going to be hard to spend time together now but we'll work something out, yeah?" Draco smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah." Harry nodded with a weak smile of his own.

"C'mon then, we'd better get to the Great Hall and have some breakfast before classes start." Draco instructed, dropping his arms from around the other boy and catching one of his hands in his pale one. "Maybe someday you can join me at the Slytherin table or, maybe, I'll be able to pluck up the strength to sit with you and the rest of your Gryffindors."

"Don't strain yourself." Harry teased playfully, inching himself a little closer to his best friend, infinitely relieved that things had been sorted out between them so quickly. Now if things could go exactly the same with his father then everything would be completely perfect.

5th September 1989: Midday

Harry sucked in a deep breath to calm his nerves as he came to a stop in front of the door into his father's classroom. It was lunch time and the dark haired boy was determined to speak to Severus before his first Potions lesson which would start in under an hour. He'd not yet had the opportunity to sort things out with the sour man, what with lessons and getting to know his new Year mates and friends and such. Now was the ideal time. His father hadn't been in the Great Hall for lunch and, when asking, Harry had discovered he had already given out the first detention of the school year in any subject. However, that did throw up the question of whether the man would be in a bad mood or not; he always did get some sort of sadistic pleasure when giving detentions to those students who he really didn't like but then there was the possibility that he was still annoyed from whatever it was the student did to warrant detention.

Steeling himself, Harry knocked on the classroom door three times and then waited politely, nervously pushing a few strands of his rather shaggy looking hair. He was conforming to the traditions of Havanist Priests and hadn't had his hair cut since his apprenticeship ended. It was at that awkward point where it wasn't long enough to tie back but it was too long to not make itself a nuisance.

"Enter." The deep voice of his father boomed from behind the door. Harry hastened to obey the command, grabbing the door handle and then pushing the large, heavy, wooden door with all his might.

Inside the classroom, he was greeted with the sight of a student from Gryffindor; a boy, looked like a third or fourth year judging my his size, on his knees on the floor by a desk, scrubbing away at the stone beneath with a wire bristled brush and with rubbery looking, black gloves on his hands. Next to him was a bucket full of some kind of clear, light blue liquid. Looking up from the slaving Gryffindor, Harry spotted Severus at his desk at the front of the classroom who, after finishing whatever it was he was writing, looked up directly at him. The man's expression was un-readable and the dark haired boy swallowed nervously.

"If this is a bad time I can come back later..." He said somewhat shyly, his body staying half hidden behind the still open door.

"Don't be foolish, you're here now, you may as well come in and say what it is you intend to." Snape replied curtly, rising from his seat and moving over to the wall to the left of the desk where there was a door which led into his chambers. "We'll talk in my rooms." He told his son as an order for the boy to make his way down to him. Harry stepped into the classroom quickly at that, easing the door shut carefully before hurrying off towards his father. "Be careful of Wood when you pass him Haryon; he's using a very corrosive potion and you aren't sufficiently protected."

Okay, so his father didn't want to see him get hurt; that was a good sign. There was a good chance that he still cared then. Doing as he was told, Harry edged himself around the boy named Wood carefully before carrying on towards Severus at a normal pace. Upon reaching the dark, foreboding man, the door to his rooms was opened and the boy moved forward with the sensation of a hand resting lightly on his shoulder.

"I expect you to be finished by the time I come back in Wood." His father said to the other boy in the classroom before he followed him in, shutting the door behind them both. Harry turned to look that the man then, seeing that he was still standing in front of the door. "So, to what do I owe this visit from my son on his first lunch break as a Hogwarts student? I would have surely thought you'd be more intent on spending time outside classes with your new friends."

"I-I just wanted to see how your first day was..." Harry told him a little unsurely.

"...And?" Severus encouraged, sensing the boy had more to say.

"And...I was wondering if...If you mind about what House I've been Sorted into." The dark haired boy answered, not saying it as a question, more of a declaration of intent. Like he'd get around to asking the question but only when he'd determined whether the question was even allowed.

"Well, I must admit, I'd be lying if I said I was thrilled with the fact that you've been put into Gryffindor." His father sighed, moving away from the door, gliding towards the three-seat sofa in front of the lit fire place. Reaching the sofa, he gestured to Harry to join him and the boy eagerly moved forward and joined the man who had just seated himself. "And I must also admit that I am more than a little miffed that you weren't put in Slytherin." Severus admitted, looking down at his son who was now sitting beside him.

"I'm sorry." Harry said meekly, his eyes downcast. He'd disappointed everyone; he should've just let the Hat put him in Slytherin like it had wanted to.

The roughened pads of his father's fingers were suddenly pressed underneath Harry's chin and his head was tilted up so he was looking the man in the face. "However, even I must admit that I am somewhat relieved that you weren't put in my House."

"Really?"

"Really. You're not a Slytherin my little prince and you wouldn't have been happy there despite the fact you would have myself and Draco there with you. It is probably for the best that you've escaped Slytherin, although," a small grin graced the usually stotic man's face, "Merlin knows why you couldn't have been a Ravenclaw."

"Could've be worse." Harry said quickly, a small grin of his own appearing. "I could've been put into Hufflepuff."

That earned an amused laughed from his father before he was pulled closer to the man's side as one of Severus' arms curled around his small frame. "Indeed." He chuckled giving Harry a few squeezes and rubbing the arm his hand was resting on.

Harry smiled brightly and held his father back enthusiastically. Everything was okay again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

31st October 1989: Evening

Harry sighed to himself gently as he silently made his way to his father's quarters in order to spend some time with the man. What with lessons getting in the way the majority of the time, the dark haired boy hadn't really had a chance to talk to the Potions professor outside of class and he was starting to miss him, (and in classes themselves, the man usually ignored him on the whole which was understandable; be too harsh and it would cause problems between them, be too soft and it would be blatant favouritism). At least when he attended Saint Gwenifwar's, they would write to each other. Now that he was at Hogwarts, they just had very little contact. It was the same situation with Draco too and he was already making plans to find the blonde later, after dinner, to invite him to possibly spend some time with both him and his father.

Turning a corner, Harry froze in his tracks as he suddenly realised exactly where he was. It was THE corridor, the very corridor that, two years ago, he had been caught by Peter Pettigrew and hauled outside to Voldemort. He shivered involuntarily and continued on much more slowly, unable to stop himself from being a little wary now. This had been the first time since that Hallowe'en that he had been back in this corridor. Severus had made very sure that he didn't go anywhere near it when he was in the dungeons. The fact that this was the anniversary of the event didn't make things any better.

Harry turned another corner and his eyes were instantly drawn to a door a small way away from him, behind which was the room where he had heard Pettigrew talking to Voldemort. Driven my some strange urge, be it morbid nostalgia or a desire to face his fears, he made his way over to the door and, upon reaching it, took hold of the door knob. For several minutes he simply stared down at where his hand was clutching the dusty brass handle, asking himself silently what the Hell he was doing while at the same time assuring himself that nothing was going to happen this time. Eventually, he plucked up the courage to twist the knob and push the door open.

A loud creak sounded as the door swung forward slowly and the room behind was revealed. Everything in the room was covered in a fine layer of dust; the room hadn't been used for a few years before the Pettigrew incident which had simply ensured that it would never be used again. It was completely void of furniture as well as rather dark inside, the only light struggling to come through the dusty window at the side which was enchanted to show a view of outside, and it was horribly silent. Never the less, Harry stepped inside cautiously, heading straight over to the only thing of interest in the room; the fire place.

The low sound of his feet on the floorboards filled the room for a few seconds before he came to a stop, his eyes fixed on the soot-filled fire place which hadn't been used for years. Harry stared down at the pile of soot in the middle of the alcove, his only thought that the face of Voldemort had once been right where he was staring. The more he looked down at the soot, the more he was sure that Voldemort's face was still there. With a shudder, he lifted his right foot and kicked the pile of soot so that its arrangement was totally ruined and it no longer looked so much like Voldemort in his eyes. However, once the soot settled once again, Harry realised that he had uncovered something whichhad beenunderneath; something golden and glittery.

Harry frowned lightly and intended to crouch down to move the soot away with his hand in order to get a better look at whatever it was he had just found. Suddenly though, a large hand from behind came to rest on his shoulder, scaring him to the point of screaming out loud while his hands flew up to cover the lower half of his face, backing away as he turned to look to see who it was. His heart began to slow considerably upon seeing that it was only his father now standing with him, obviously not in the least surprised by his son's reaction, or if he was surprised he hid it very well.

"I didn't hear you come in." Harry said slightly breathlessly, his hands leaving his face to either drop to his side or to cover his chest in an unconscious gesture of self-protection.

"Obviously." Severus said in a toneless voice. "You shouldn't be in here Haryon."

"I know, I'm sorry. I was just trying...I just wanted to...I-I don't know what I thought I was doing. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." The dark haired boy said weakly, bowing his head in shame. When he felt his father cup his cheek though, he lifted his head once again to see the man was now kneeling to his height, a look of concern on his face.

"You haven't caused me any trouble Haryon, though you did give the Fifth Year prefect who saw that the door was open quite a scare." He assured gently, his tone becoming slightly amused at the end of his sentence. "Did you come down here for the sole purpose of coming in here?"

"No, I was coming down to see you. It-it's been so long since we saw each other properly and I-I just wanted to spend some time with you before dinner tonight." Harry explained somewhat shyly, still concerned that he had put his father out. The smile that bloomed on the usually stern man's face was reassuring however and he felt his confidence return a little at the sight.

"Then let's go back to my quarters hmm? And you can prattle on about everything and anything to your heart's content." His father promised and although the words weren't exactly kind, his tone more than made up for it as it was soft and gentle and kind.

Harry smiled to himself as Severus stood and he immediately latched onto the man's hand. He missed the slightly surprised look on his father's face at the action and pressed himself close to his side, beyond happy that they were able to spend some time together again. He was well aware that boys his age were supposed to be starting to draw away from their parents, getting to the age where they were embarrassing more than anything, but Harry just couldn't bring himself to feel that way. His father meant the world to him and he wanted to spend time with him, to be seen with him, to be close to him both physically and emotionally and he didn't think that would ever change.

Talking between themselves quietly, the father and son left the room, the glint of gold underneath the soot in the fire place completely forgotten.

10th November 1989: Midday

It was a mild, rather sunny late-Autumn lunch time when a student at Hogwarts would be able to find the Gryffindor Quidditch team practising hard for their match against Slytheirn which was coming up in a few days. Down on the ground, sitting with his back resting against one of the House stands with some homework on his knees, Harry sat on his own, occasionally looking up at the practising teenagers before returning to his assignment for his father's Potions class. He had agreed that morning to join the twins in watching the team practise but had obviously arrived early as there were still no twins in sight. That was why he was doing homework; it was necessary to get it out of the way when Fred and/or George weren't there to distract him.

With a frown, Harry crossed out the line he had just written upon realising that it made absolutely no sense what so ever. He rewrote it underneath and gave a sigh, still not liking how he had phrased it but not knowing how else to put it and he was reluctant to try it again; he didn't want a foot of parchment which was crossing outs and he couldn't be bothered to write it all out again once it was finished.

"Harry! There you are!" George's voice suddenly called to him excitedly. Harry looked up to see that the ginger haired boy and his twin brother were dashing towards him, looking far more enthusiastic/hyper than usual.

"We've been searching for you for ages!" Fred gasped out upon reaching him.

"Look what we've got!" George said as he fell to his knees beside Harry and thrust something straight into the dark haired boy's personal space.

"...It's a bare piece of parchment..." Harry said, his body leaning back slightly as he warily looked at the object that George had practically shoved in his face, unsure of anything the twins were so enthusiastic about.

"It's not just any bare piece of parchment." George corrected his friend excitedly as he shifted into a more comfortable position which also moved him closer to Harry.

"It's a bare piece of parchment that we nicked from the confiscated items box in Filch's office." Fred told him, moving around to sit in front of his brother and the dark haired boy.

"Okay...So what does it do?" Harry inquired carefully, still wary of the paper which was still uncomfortably close to him in his opinion.

"We're not sure yet..."

"...But it's gotta be something good!"

"Why does it?" The green eyed boy questioned.

"Because it was in the confiscated box Filch's office!" George insisted, his tone implying that the small, dingy space was some sort of Aladdin's cave.

"He's hardly gonna have something as pointless as a bare bit of parchment in his confiscated box if there wasn't more to it." Fred elaborated on his brother's point, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"But even if it is something more, how do you make whatever it is happen?" Harry pointed out reasonably as he leaned over slightly to have a closer look at it.

"That's the bit we're still trying to find out." George admitted, the enthusiasm in his voice fading somewhat with that confession.

"We'll figure it out though." Fred said confidently.

"Course we will; won't be too hard." His twin agreed, his tone cheering once again.

"And you just know it's gonna be worth the effort." Fred grinned gleefully.

"Yeah, like it has the passwords to every place in Hogwarts." George suggested.

Although Fred continued the list of possible things that piece of parchment might show, his voice faded into the background as something behind George's head caught Harry's eye and held his attention. Flashes of gold every so often glinted by the ginger boy's right ear. It was distracting to say the least and Harry had a pretty good idea of what it was. So, without really thinking about it, the dark haired boy reached forward quickly, appearing at first to be simply lunging at his friend.

"Woah! Hey, what on Earth...!" George cried in surprise as he quickly fell onto his side to avoid Harry's hand just as it closed around whatever it was that had caught his eye.

"This was zipping around behind your head; it was getting on my nerves." Harry told him, holding his hand up to show where he had the snitch the team was practising with caged in his hand, the wings fluttering and calming as they watched.

"You...You just reached out..." Fred gasped in disbelief.

"...And you just grabbed it..." George continued, his voice exactly the same as his twin's. Harry merely looked at the two boys uncomprehendingly, not understanding what the big deal was. So he caught the snitch, that was hardly anything special. After all, you just had to watch any random Quidditch match and the odds were that one of the Seekers would catch the snitch eventually.

"Charlie, over here!" Fred suddenly called excitedly, leaping onto his feet and ushering his older brother over like a mad man. "Harry's got it; he caught the snitch!"

That loud declaration seemed to reach every member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team because they all stopped what they were doing and stared in the First Years' in shock. "Harry caught the snitch?" Charlie repeated upon reaching them and touching down on the ground. "I mean, he actually caught the snitch?"

"Yes, he actually caught the snitch." Fred insisted as the older Weasley joined them.

"It was right next to my head and he just reached out..." George began.

"...And grabbed it before either of us even knew what he was doing." Fred finished, upon which the twins turned to look at their friend who looked like he just wanted the ground to split open and swallow him whole.

"Tell him Harry!" The two red-heads insisted together.

Harry cringed a little at the looks he was getting from everywhere, whether they were disbelieving, sceptical or, in the case of Fred and George, filled with awe and excitement. "Yeah," he said to Charlie somewhat weakly. "I caught the snitch."

"Wow, that's amazing for a kid your age who's never played a proper game of Quidditch before. You haven't played a proper game before, right?" Charlie checked, almost as an after thought.

"No, only ever one on ones with Draco." Harry confirmed, dropping the tamed snitch into Charlie's hand when the older boy held it out.

"Very impressive. No doubt someday you'll make the team yourself."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I've always just liked playing it for fun; I'm not sure I'd still enjoy it if I felt I had to win." Harry admitted a little awkwardly, looking away as his fingers twiddled in his lap.

"Oh well, think about it at least. After all, several players are gonna be leaving after this year so there'll be plenty of opportunities to get on and with talent like yours Harry, I'm sure whoever replaces me as captain will snap you up in a second." Charlie assured confidently.

"Hey, what time is it?" Fred asked suddenly, glancing over to his older brother.

"Half past one." Charlie answered, glancing down at the special wrist-watch he had been gifted with on his seventeenth birthday to mark his coming of age.

"Bloody Hell!" The twins swore together as they stood up abruptly.

"We were supposed to be in detention with your dad ten minutes ago!" George cried as the two boys scrambled off of the stand.

"We'll see you back in the common room later." Fred called behind them as he and his brother sprinted away.

"Well that was sudden." Charlie noted, amused. He leaned on his broom lazily and smiled down at Harry. "Are you off now too? You have a lesson with that Elvish guy soon don't you?"

"Mmhmm, but not for another few hours. I've nothing else to do so I'll just stay here, as long as that's okay?"

"Course it's okay, you don't even have to ask." The older boy assured before lifting his broom and straddling it before kicking off the ground and rising in the air again, going to start up another practice match with the team.

Several minutes passed in which Harry managed to finish his homework and then settled back to watch the teenagers above him zipping around effortlessly in any given direction. It was almost impossible to actually follow what it was they were doing exactly but that wasn't so bad as Harry wasn't really in the mood to concentrate too hard. From where he was, he could make out enough to stop him from getting bored but not enough to get him interested enough to make him want to sit up and give the game his undivided attention.

Abruptly, the figures above him disappeared as did everything else. Sound was silenced and the green, blue and light around him faded into pure black, the only thing not being sucked into the void being Charlie Weasley, up in the sky on his broom. Harry looked around himself in complete confusion and was about to get to his feet and call to the teenager above to ask if he knew what was going on. However, before he could move a muscle, he froze in shock when he saw a bludger come shooting out of no where and collide roughly with the middle of Chalie's back. The young man's face contorted in pain and he seemed to let out a cry but everything remained silent. Harry watched in mute horror as the red head over-balanced from the impact and went flying over the head of his broom, dropping towards the never ending darkness below...

A gasp wrenched its way out of Harry's throat as the sights and sounds around returned to him in a rush. It took him less than a second to realise what had happened and, more importantly, what was about to happen. It was most likely for the best that he was already sitting down otherwise he probably would have collapsed. Despite that however, he still began to struggle to his feet, his eyes fixed to the form of Charlie above and the bludger which was already hurtling towards him.

"Charlie, watch out!" Harry called quickly, actually managing to stand up despite the fact that he was rather unsteady and could quite easily crumble at a moment's notice.

His call was too late however and Harry's hands flew to his face when he saw the bludger crack right into the middle of Charlie's back, sending him tumbling over the front his broom.

10th November 1989: Evening

Harry sighed tiredly as he closed the book which was open in front of him and rubbed his eyes while he shuffled his chair back, preparing for him to rise.

That afternoon, after he had made sure that Charlie was going to be all right, (a massive bruise on his back and a few other bruises where he landed was luckily the worst he suffered) he had headed off to his lesson with High Priest Sephiran. Despite the fact it was on an interesting subject, (the basics of Calim(1) magic) Harry had found it very hard to concentrate as his mind had been filled with the thought of how he had seen Charlie's accident before it actually happened.

Yes, okay, true, he had seen stuff happen before they had actually happened but he'd always dreamt it. The only other time he had seen something while he was awake was that Hallowe'en when Voldemort came to Hogwarts for him. That had been years ago and the reappearance of his "talent" was unsettling to say the least, for several reasons. For instance, he had almost passed out when he had seen the...Whatever it was, and last time he had actually passed out. So, what would happen if he had one again and people were actually paying attention to him at the time? He would cause a huge fuss and probably scare several people half to death, just as he had last time. That was the last thing he wanted to happen; he'd caused far too much trouble for everyone in the Wizarding world before.

He hadn't actually asked his High Priest about the...Thing, but once the man had left, Harry almost instantly wished he had. So, without anyone he felt comfortable enough to ask about his "situation", he turned to books. He had immediately dashed off to the library and grabbed as many books on Divination that he would. And that, reading books, was what he had just finished doing for the day. It was dark outside now and he had a headache; it was time to call it quits.

Harry stood before scooping up the three books on the table into his arms. After he wandered back to the bookshelf he originally got them from and returned them to their proper places, he headed out of the library. The trip back to Gryffindor Tower was predictably uneventful and Harry stepped through the portrait hole to find an almost empty common room, its only inhabitants being Fred and George. They were sitting by a small, circular table, opposite each other, over by a wall, the bare piece of parchment resting in between them.

"Are you still obsessing over that piece of parchment?" Harry chuckled lightly as he moved further into the room, coming to a stop when he was standing behind one of them; he wasn't sure which, it was hard to tell when they weren't speaking.

"It has to be something!" George, the twin Harry wasn't standing behind, insisted loudly, his hands flying up in a gesture of exasperation. "Why else would it have been in Filch's office?"

"He's hardly going to confiscate a blank piece of parchment from someone." Fred added reasonably, angling his head back so he could look up at Harry.

"Let me have a look." Harry sighed as he held his hand out, knowing that the twins were going to try and wheedle help out of him anyway. The other two boys grinned in triumph and George passed the parchment to Fred who then held it out for Harry. The dark haired boy reached out for it with his right hand. Then, the moment the pads of his fingers touched the worn-soft parchment, his vision clouded and a very clear voice came:

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good...Mischief managed."

When he next became aware of his surroundings, Harry found himself being clutched by both of the twins and he could tell by the shaky feeling in his legs that they were the only thing holding him up at that moment. Both boys were repeating his name over and over until Harry sounded a grunt to alert them of his consciousness and also made an effort to stand on his own two feet, though that was largely unsuccessful.

"Harry? Are you alright?" One twin, he wasn't sure which as they had moved and he was semi-lucid, asked almost instantly.

"Should we go and get Madam Pomfrey? Of your dad?" The other asked straight after.

"No, don't." Harry insisted. "There's no need to worry him or Madam Pomfrey either. I just need to sit down for a bit and then I'll be fine."

"You're lucky we were able to catch you, ain't he George?" Fred spoke to Harry and then to his brother as they led the weak boy over to one of the chairs by the fireplace.

"Yeah, almost didn't make it to you in time." George revealed as they reached the seat and helped Harry to lower himself into it.

"What happened just now anyway?"

"One minute you were standing there..."

"...Talking to us, and then the next..."

"...Your eyes had gone blank and you lurched forward." The twins said back and forth between them, the explanation of what had happened ending with George.

"I-I'm not sure what it was...But..." Harry said slowly, lifting his head and looking at the piece of parchment still in Fred's hand. "Show me that." He said, his tone asking rather than demanding.

"Are you sure?" Fred asked unsurely, glancing to his brother for support.

"Maybe we should just give it back..." George suggested, sounding disappointed but obviously worried about what had happened to their friend.

"No, no, just give it here." Harry insisted a little more firmly, holding his hand out for it.

The twins exchanged glances before Fred reluctantly held the parchment out for Harry. A tense moment passed as they all waited to see if touching the golden paper would have the same affect on Harry again. Then, when he took a hold of it and remained very much conscious, the tense atmosphere vanished in an instant and was replaced with curiosity instead as the seated, dark haired boy pulled out his wand from his robes after unfolding the parchment.

With a small frown of concentration, Harry pointed the tip of his wand to the parchment and said in a very slow, clear voice: "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." Slowly, very slowly, ink began to seep through the parchment, creating the outlines of things which became clearer as more crimson ink became visible. When no more ink continued to appear, the three boys leaned in closer to the parchment as Harry read the words which were now visible: "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauder's Map."

"Who d'ya reckon they are?" Fred pondered out loud.

"People who got detention with Filch a lot." George grinned in reply as Harry unfolded the rest of the parchment to reveal what was inside.

"Hey, wait a minute, this is Hogwarts!" The dark haired boy gasped in surprise. "And is that...No way..."

"That's Dumbledore!" Fred practically yelled in his disbelief, pointing to the two feet which constantly moved in a circle with the name of Dumbledore above it.

"What's he doing?" Harry wondered.

"Looks like he's pacing." George replied, looking at the map intently. "Hey look, there we are." He pointed out, holding out a finger to the position where their names were gathered in a small cluster. "Does this mean that this map shows the exact position of everyone in the school?"

After that question was spoken and he had finished looking at themselves on the map as well, Fred stood up straight and walked around to the other side of the chair so that he stood on the same side as his twin. George and Harry watched the parchment as he did so and were amazed when their theory was confirmed; when Fred was moving, the footprints on the parchment moved as well.

"Do you have any idea what this means?" George asked, obviously barely containing his excitement.

"We know exactly where everyone in Hogwarts is..." Fred said slowly, his voice disbelieving.

"...Every moment..."

"...Of every day."

"Think of everything we can do with this!"

"The pranks!"

"The jokes!"

"Just as long as you don't pick on me." Harry joked, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in comfortably now feeling that he could relax and give into his sudden fatigue somewhat since the mystery was now solved.

"Of course not!" George agreed sincerely.

"Be a bit ungrateful of us..." Fred continued.

"...If we went and tortured you..."

"...When you were the one who figured out how to work the thing."

"How'd you do that anyway?" They both asked together.

"When I touched it, I heard a voice saying it in my head. I figured it was probably talking about the parchment since that's what triggered it." Harry explained, hoping the other two boys wouldn't make a fuss over this ability it appeared he had.

"Handy trick that is." Fred commented playfully, obviously not in the least bothered or worried with his friend's talent.

"Does it happen often?" George queried curiously, seeming to hold the same opinion as his twin brother.

"No, usually I have dreams rather than...Things, when I'm awake." Harry told them a little awkwardly, nervously smoothing out the parchment on his lap. "It did happen earlier though. After you went off to detention, I had a Thing where I saw Charlie get hit by the bludger..."

"That's so wicked..." Fred breathed in awe, already aware of what had happened to the second oldest Weasley son that afternoon.

"Does this mean you're a Seer?" George wondered.

"I, uh, I'm not really sure." Harry hesitated, genuinely unsure of what the things he heard a saw actually meant.

Was it actually a possibility that he was a Seer? He still didn't think he was the sort of person to be blessed with such a gift but that seemed to be the direction everything was pointing in. He'd just have to see how everything unfolded as time went on; no matter what, he was sure his Great Lady would be at his side, guiding him suitably.

11th November 1989: Evening

Harry gave Miss Pince a small smile as he left the library quietly, a couple of thick books held to his chest loosely. He'd just finished spending another evening in the library, still researching his "things". With everything he had found out by looking in various books, ranging from theories and actual history, he was pretty sure that his "things", be they dreams or sudden things he had when he was awake, were types of visions. He was still reluctant to call them that though so he continued to refer to the them as his "things" for lack of anything better.

Hurrying down a dark corridor, back on his way to Gryffindor Tower, Harry had to pass the DADA classroom which always gave him the creeps. Partly, the memories he had of Peter Pettigrew were what made him nervous when around that room but it was also because the room just felt wrong. There was something about it that put him on edge, that made him incredibly suspicious. It wasn't the teacher this time; the new DADA teacher was actually a really nice old woman called Professor Belsey, a Muggle-born who was well on the way to retirement no doubt. It was definitely the classroom that made him feel like something bad was going to happen and he dreaded starting Second Year when he'd have to start taking Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He kept his head down as he passed the classroom door, holding the books in his arms a little closer to his chest in an unconscious gesture of self-defense. When he had just passed the door, Harry became aware of the sound of footsteps ahead. So, mostly to make sure he didn't accidently bump into whoever it was and to also see who it was, he lifted his head, only to have his gaze come to rest on the figure of Draco a few mere feet away from him.

Both boys stopped upon seeing each other, neither sure what to do or how to act. They hadn't really spoken for weeks, not properly. They usually greeted each other if they passed in the corridors or in classes but it hadn't gone much beyond that. It was hard for them to spend time together being in such opposite Houses and each having other friends who were closer at hand. They rarely got to see each other one on one anymore, both with their respective groups of friends and, although Fred and George had nothing against Draco, the blonde Slytherin's friends were less than enthusiastic about Harry. All of this considered and the fact that neither Harry or Draco were sure how the other boy felt about the situation, it was unsurprising that there was now a nervous atmosphere between them.

It was Harry who was the first one to pluck up the courage to move forward again, closing the gap between him and the boy who he still considered to be his best friend. He gave Draco a kind, encouraging smile when he reached him, coming to a stop half a foot away from him, which the blonde nervously returned. "Hi." The dark haired boy greeted him somewhat shyly but on the whole rather easily.

"Hi." Draco returned in the same way. "How are you?" He inquired, his tone remaining the same.

"I'm good." Harry assured, his smile continuing and he hoped that it was helping to relax the other boy. It didn't seem to work however as a few long moments of silence passed then, not exactly awkward but hardly what could be described as comfortable either. Harry was just about to try and strike up a conversation again when Draco bowed his head and mumbled something quietly. "Sorry, what was that?" He asked gently, ducking down a little to try and look Draco in the face.

"Can I have a hug?" The blonde asked quietly but it was hearable thing time, continuing to look down at his feet as a faint blush covered his cheeks. Harry smiled lightly and wordlessly set his books down on the floor before he stepped right up to his best friend so he could curl his arms around the other boy. Draco reacted instantly, his own arms coming around Harry tightly, moulding their bodies together. The warmth of the blonde's body made the dark haired boy practically melt into the embrace. "I've missed you." Draco whispered against Harry's pale cheek.

"Same here. I'm sorry I haven't tried to spend some time with you." Harry murmured back.

"It's been as much my fault asyours; I haven't exactly been chasing you around with offers." The blonde drew back, but kept his arms around the other boy, and looked the dark haired boy's face over somewhat sadly. "I didn't realise just how hard being in different Houses was going to make spending time with you."

"It's understandable though and there'll always be Christmas' and the summer holidays. I'll be hanging around you for so long then that you'll get sick of me." Harry joked lightly, giving the side of his best friend's stomach a small squeeze causing him to flinch away from the tickling sensation. The blonde glared at Harry for that but the dark haired boy only laughed in amusement before pulling himself closer again. "How are things in Slytherin anyway?"

"Just what I expected." Draco answered simply. Harry understood the reason for his vague answer and took no offence from it; he knew exactly what it was Draco had expected anyway. The dark haired boy felt the blonde's jaw open and heard an intake of breath as though he was about to say something but still the new silence continued. Just when he was about to ask if there was something wrong, Draco finally managed to speak: "I'm glad you didn't make Slytherin; you wouldn't be safe there."

Harry's eyes widened slightly, surprised by his best friend's words. Although Severus had said that he thought it was best he wasn't in Slytherin, he'd said nothing about him being in danger if he had been Sorted there. Had his father just been reluctant to worry him? Or were there things that went on among the Slytherin students that not even their Head of House knew about? That thought was disturbing to say the least and made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. He said nothing though, instead choosing to keep this reunion between him and Draco pleasant rather than start a hypothetical conversation about all the troubles which might await Harry in the future.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

14th February 1990: Morning

Being as quiet as he could so that he didn't disturb the other sleeping boys in his dorm room, Harry carefully lifted the lid of his trunk and brought out four little bags, each big enough to fit comfortably in the palm of his hand, made out of a pretty type of light purple shimmery material which had a few light aquamarine specks in it if you held it in the right light. Each was tied at the top with a silver ribbon done up in a neat bow. It was Valentines Day once again and that meant that the lucky people who were Harry's nearest and dearest would all receive his nicely wrapped home-made chocolate. He had spent a good chunk of the previous evening preparing and wrapping everything and then sending off his gifts to Lucius, Marcia and Rhys with Hedwig. The others he had made he had hidden in his trunk when none of his room mates were present; he had no doubt that if they had been spotted, they wouldn't have lasted the night.

With all four bags now sitting next to him on the floor, Harry fiddled with them for a little while, making sure the ribbons were tied securely into their bows. He continued doing that until the sound of someone shifting reached his ears. Looking up, Harry saw that Fred was now sitting up, rubbing one of his eyes and yawning widely.

"Anyone else up yet?" The red-head asked the room quietly so he wouldn't wake anyone accidently.

"I'm awake." Came a muffled reply from George.

"And so am I. Good morning you two." Harry greeted them cheerfully as George also sat up in bed before both twins proceeded to stretch lazily. "Happy Valentines Day." He smiled, coming to stand between each of their beds and holding out two of the little bags of chocolate he had made the day before, one in each palm.

"Huh?" Fred grunted in confusion, looking at the offered bag like it was about to bite off his head.

"Erm, Harry, why are you giving us gifts on Valentines Day?" George asked nervously, unsure of what to make of the gesture.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, it's nothing romantic!" Harry assured quickly with a laugh, figuring out what was bothering the two boys. "It's a Havanist tradition to give home-made chocolate to your close friends and family on Valentines Day, not just people you fancy. That's why I disappeared for the whole of yesterday evening; Professor Dumbledore let me use the kitchens to make the chocolate."

"Oooooooh." George said, drawing out the sound in realisation. "In that case, gimme!" He grinned, taking the bag and quickly opening it, totally ignoring the lovely wrapping, and going straight for the chocolates which were moulded in either circles, squares or diamonds.

"We don't have anything for you Harry." Fred told him seriously, still having still not accepted the gift.

Harry gave him a curious look before smiling gently and sitting on the edge of the ginger haired boy's bed. "That doesn't matter. No one except my two friends from Saint Gwenifwar's makes me anything anyway and I don't expect them to; it's a Havanist thing, not a Wizarding thing. I like to do it though because it shows those who I care about the most how much they mean to me. You and George are such good friends to me and I want to show you how grateful I am. So, please, accept it. I promise it won't poison you." He added light-heartedly to break the serious atmosphere which had taken them over.

"Oh wow, that assurance makes me feel so much better." Fred joked back with a grin as he took the offered bag finally. "Thanks Harry." He said with a sincere, calmer smile.

"You're welcome." Harry said with a smile of his own.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry hummed to himself cheerfully as he wandered into the Great Hall on his own, one of his bags of chocolate held in his right hand which swung back and forth as he moved forward. Although it was a week day and no one got a chance to lay in bed for too long, he was still on his way down to breakfast several minutes before the majority of the student population would be, hence him being on his own. As soon as he had given Fred and George their gifts, he had left them to get showered and dressed in favour of heading to the Great Hall in order to give his father his Valentines Day gift before the hall got too filled. On his father's behalf, he wanted the gift-giving process to go by as un-noticed as possible; his father was hardly a fan of attracting attention.

Entering the hall, Harry was pleased to see that Severus was indeed present, sitting at the Head Table, sipping a cup of tea while idly flicking through a newspaper with little interest. Harry continued forward, down the middle of the Great Hall, without hesitation despite the fact that his stomach was suddenly a breeding ground for butterflies; this was the first time he was going to give his father a Valentines gift in public after all. Sending one by post was one thing, doing it face to face was something else entirely.

He politely smiled at the teachers who acknowledged him when he reached the table and moved to walk around it so that he would be on the same side as Severus rather than having to stand opposite him. Upon reaching the Potion Master's side, he stopped and held the bag out in both of his palms, the traditional way to present such a gift, and gave the man a small smile. "Happy Valentines Day Father." Harry wished a little shyly as his father took the bag and he leaned closer in order to place a kiss on the man's cheek. He was vaguely aware that he had attracted quite a bit of attention from those who were already in the Great Hall but he ignored it; he had nothing to be embarrassed about.

"Thank you Haryon." His father said gently though his face remained in its usual state of severity, no doubt for the sake of the surrounding students. "I must admit I was wondering whether you were going to continue this little tradition of yours."

"You can be so sour at times Father, you need something to sweeten you every so often." Harry teased playfully, making sure to keep his voice very low so no else had a chance of hearing him.

He pulled back to see the usually stotic Potions Master struggling to keep a straight face and Harry allowed a grin of his own to break out on his face. That seemed to be the last straw for his father as a small smile in the disguise of a smirk curved the corners of his lips. "Off with you brat, before you completely destroy my image." He ordered in a low voice, slipping the bag into a pocket in his teaching robes and turning back to his paper. Harry gave a small laugh at that and pecked another quick kiss on the man's cheek before moving around the Head Table and heading over to the Gryffindor one where he sat down and began to fill his plate with food.

A few minutes passed after that of Harry silently eating, minding his own business, until a he caught a glimpse of Fred and George approaching him out of the corner of his eye. He lifted his head and turned to look at them properly as they reached him, each sinking onto the bench either side of the dark haired boy.

"Ya dad like the chocolate?" Fred inquired as a greeting, instantly reaching for a pitcher of pumpkin juice while George made a grab for the toast rack before it could be snatched up by another one of their House mates.

"Yep, though he tried terribly hard to hide the fact." Harry grinned. "Besides, he likes chocolate too much not to appreciate any chocolate themed gift he receives from anyone."

"Even James Potter?" George asked playfully.

Harry wrinkled his nose at that thought. "Okay, maybe not everyone; practically everyone."

"We'll have to remember that George." Fred said to his brother with a mouthful of sausage.

"Yeah, the next time we get detention with him, we'll just bribe our way out of it." The other twin agreed, encouraging a chuckle from Harry which lasted until the dark haired boy once again spotted someone coming into the Great Hall out of the corner of his eye.

"Draco!" Harry called across the hall without thinking as the blonde walked further into the hall, standing from his seat and waving to him.

Draco stopped and looked over to him upon hearing his name and his expression quickly changed from curiosity to expectancy, having obviously spotted the small parcel which the dark haired boy was holding. As Harry climbed over the bench and hurried over to his best friend, Draco came to a stop. Both of them were aware that quite a few of the Great Hall's occupants were openly watching them but it caused neither any bother.

Harry's pace slowed to a walk just before he reached his best friend and he gave the blonde a happy smile as he held out the bag in the palms of both of his hands. "Happy Valentines Day Draco." He wished.

"Happy Valentines Day to you too." Draco returned with a slight smile/smirk of his own as he accepted the bag of chocolates. "And thanks." He paused for a moment and seemed to consider something. "This is the first time you've ever given it to me in person; is there something I'm supposed to do in return?"

Harry gave a small laugh and shook his head gently. "No, all you have to do is eat it and maybe, just maybe, offer me a piece later on."

Draco gave a small chuckle at that and leaned forward to peck a very quick kiss on Harry's cheek which only caused the dark haired boy to blush brightly and stare down at his feet as those surrounding them continued to stare at them. "I'll see you later okay? We'll spend some time together." The blonde whispered before drawing back and going back over to join his friends at the Slytherin table.

Harry watched him go for a few seconds before he hurried back to the Gryffindor table and slipped back into his seat between Fred and George where he promptly leaned forward until his head was resting on the table. "I can't believe he did that in front of everyone." He groaned, still feeling several sets of eyes still on him.

"It was only a peck on the cheek." George pointed out as he put a dollop of marmalade on his toast before spreading it around.

"Yeah, and what's a peck on the cheek between honorary brothers." Fred added with another mouthful of sausage.

"Or between real brothers." George said as he leaned over Harry to kiss his twin brother's cheek. The other Weasley didn't fight off his brother and simply accepted the brief kiss without word or sign that he was taking any notice. "See? Nothing wrong with it."

Harry sat up a little straighter with a sigh and considered the words of his two friends. They had a point. Draco was like his brother and there was nothing wrong with kissing a family member on the cheek. He had proudly kissed his father on the cheek a mere few minutes earlier so surely Draco should be no different. No, it wasn't different, it was just an expression of brotherly love. It had just surprised him is all; it was the first time either of them had ever kissed the other.

The flapping of dozens of wings distracted Harry from his thoughts abruptly and he lifted his head to see the owls carrying the morning post were sweeping into the Great Hall. Most seemed to be carrying small parcels or flowers which wasn't surprising considering what day it was. The dark haired boy quickly spotted the striking white feathers of Hedwig and noticed with pleasure that she was carrying two parcels and a letter. When she reached him, she landed gracefully and allowed the parcels and the letter to be untied before accepting the piece of bacon which Harry offered her as a treat.

"Look who's Mr Popular." George teased playfully, noting the three deliveries now sitting in front of Harry on the table.

"Got yourself a couple of secret admirers Harry?" Fred grinned, nudging Harry's shoulder.

"Don't be silly." Harry laughed as he began to tear away the rough, brown parcel paper off one of the parcels. Pulling the paper away revealed a pale pink envelope and a bar of marbled milk and white chocolate wrapped prettily in clear wrapping and sealed at the ends with curled pink, red and purple ribbons. "They're only from my friends from my old school." He told them with a small smile as he opened the pink envelope and pulled the letter inside out and confirming his suspicions that that one was from Marcia.

"Other friends Harry?" Fred gasped in mock horror.

"I thought we were the only ones!" George cried forlornly, tilting his head back and pressing the back of his right hand against his forehead.

Harry simply rolled his eyes and shook his head a little as he finished reading Marcia's letter and moved onto the next parcel. He pulled the paper away to reveal a plain white envelope and the chocolates were obviously bite-sized and wrapped up in the white cotton bundle which was underneath the letter. Checking the letter revealed that, as expected, this one was from Rhys. The letter was brief and to the point, much as its writer's personality, and once Harry had read it, he untied the bundle a little to check on the chocolates inside; both milk and dark chocolate balls sprinkled with crushed nuts. Satisfied with his check, the dark haired boy tied it back up and put it aside with the one he got from Marcia.

He took a quick break to take a sip of pumpkin juice and a few bites of his breakfast before he reached for the letter Hedwig had brought him, noticing absently that she was being fussed over by Fred and George. The envelope made of expensive parchment and the wax seal which held down the flap told him who the letter was from without him even having to look at the handwriting on the front. After breaking the seal and pulling out the parchment inside, Harry unfolded the letter and smiled upon recognising his godfather's handwriting. It was the usual thank you letter he got for the chocolate though it was a little earlier than it usually was; he figured that was because he sent the chocolate by owl instead of having Saint Gwenifwar's sort out the delivery.

With a smile, Harry finished reading the letter and folded it back up neatly, slipping it back into its envelope and then putting that into his bag. He also put his gifts from Marcia and Rhys into his bag before turning his attention back to his two present friends.

7th March 1990: Afternoon

"Ah, Haryon; right on time as usual." High Priest Sephiran greeted the boy as he walked into Dumbledore's office quickly, guiding the door shut as fast as he could and then all but bouncing across the room. "And judging from your current mood, I'm going to assume it's because you're particularly looking forward to today's lesson."

Harry blushed a little at that and forced himself calm slightly though there was still a very noticeable energy around him. "It's been all I can think since last week when you told me what we'd be doing." He admitted quietly.

"And there is nothing wrong with that. Indeed. having such a desire to learn and to better yourself is very admirable." The Elvish man assured as he moved around Dumbledore's desk so that he was standing just to Harry's side. "Shall we begin straight away then?" Harry nodded eagerly but said nothing. "Alright then. First thing's first; let's remove our staves from around our necks." Together, they both unclasped the fastenings of the slim chains around their neck, pulling away the pendants. "Now, as you probably remember from our last lesson, this is where things have to be done in a certain way. I'm going to do it first while you watch and then you can try it yourself, alright?"

"Yes High Priest."

Sephiran gave no verbal reply but he did give Harry a smile before a relaxed expression of calm graced the pale man's face. He brought his right arm up, holding it out straight in front of himself, his pendant dangling from the loose hold on the golden chain that he had. A few seconds passed of complete silence passed until the High Priest released the chain, only to have the pendant remain floating in mid-air. The man's hands were quickly brought up to either side of the pendant, about fifteen centimetres of air separating his palms from the miniature golden staff with a small ruby clutched in a prison of laced gold on top. With that all in place, he spoke in a calm though commanding voice:

"Eteleht(1)."

A faint wind whipped up around them as the pendent grew longer, the golden cage and the ruby it contained grew larger while the thickness of the staff remained the same, delicate, pencil width. Once the staff was at full size, a good head or so higher than the tall man, The Head Priest lowered his left hand and took hold of the delicately slim, tall staff in his right hand. He adjusted the positioning of the staff, having it leaning at an angle a little so that the caged ruby was in line with his chin but the bottom tip was still resting on the floor.

"There. Now, would you like to try?" He inquired gently. Harry nodded eagerly. "Alright then; just as I showed you then."

Harry took a small breath as he lifted his own pendant by the attached silver chain in the same way his teacher had shown him. Seconds passed again, admittedly several more than had passed when Sephiran had done it though that was to be expected, until Harry felt confident enough to let go of the chain. To his blatant surprise, the pendant remained in mid-air just as it was supposed to. His eyes flickered to his teacher to see the man's reaction but he merely looked his usual, serene self and then Harry quickly remembered that he had to move his hands. He moved them to either side of the pendant, fifteen centimetres away from the actual object. Once he was once again sure of himself and confident that the pendant was not going to suddenly drop to the floor, he opened his mouth and spoke the necessary command:

"Eteleht."

The faint wind once again surrounded them as Harry's pendant began to grow longer but not thicker just as Sephiran's had. The pearl and the crystal wings on either side grew to an impressive size as well, the pearl swelling to roughly the size of a tennis ball. The wind died down once the staff had fully lengthened to its full height of being double Harry's height. The dark haired boy quickly took hold of it with both hands, not wanting to risk letting it drop. He knew it wasn't possible for the staff to break in any way, it was more of a sign of respect. For him, it was just so unbelievable. Him, an eleven year old boy, had just released a Havanist High Priest's staff! That was totally unheard of!

Sephiran smiled at the sight of the awe-struck boy before deciding it was time to move things along. "With a bit of practice, you'll be able to do it wordlessly and much faster." He told Harry easily, drawing the boy out of the stare he'd had fixed on the staff in his hands. "But that'll be something for another time. For now, how do you feel about trying a healing spell or two?"

19th June 1990: Night

Harry woke with a start when he felt a hand clamp over his mouth and nose, effectively cutting off his air supply. His hands flew up to try and tear the alien hand away from his face seconds before his eyes shot open. Above him hovered the twin grins of Fred and George, the one on the right being the one with his hand over Harry's mouth and nose. With a disgruntled gasp, the dark haired boy forced the hand off of his face, aided by the fact the red head had loosened his hold upon seeing that he had succeeded in waking him.

"What in the Great Lady's name do you think you're doing?" Harry hissed angrily, glaring at the two boys as he sat up and they fell back from their knees onto their backsides.

"Waking you up." The twin who had been suffocating him grinned easily.

"Worked well didn't it?" The other Weasley teased playfully.

Harry continued to glare at them for a few more seconds before giving a tired sigh and flopping back down onto his back, unable to remain angry with his two friends for too long when they grinned at him like they were. "Why are you waking me up? It's still dark outside and seeing as it's Summer at the moment, that means it's some un-Godly hour at which everyone sane is still asleep." He muttered as he threw his left arm over his eyes.

"It's a quarter to midnight." One of the twins told him helpfully as they spread themselves out on the bed along with the other twin, both getting themselves comfortable.

"So the Sixth and Seventh Years are probably still up." The other revealed.

"Fascinating." Harry grunted. "Seriously though, why did you wake me up?"

"Well, tomorrow we all go home." One of the boys replied, his voice curiously sounding as if he was moving away when he spoke as the mattress shifted from the movements of one of them.

"And since we won't be sleeping in the same room for the next couple of months..."

"...We thought we'd make the best of our last time for a while." With that, the mattress dipped rather low and prompted Harry to move his arm and look to see what was going on. Now resting on his bed, just next to him and in between the Weasley twins was a rather large picnic basket. Its lid was folded back to reveal what was inside and Harry was rather surprised to see dozens of cakes and pastries.

"Where'd you get all that?" Harry asked, shifting up so he was sitting, rather than laying down, again.

"Kitchen's of course."

"Tickle the pear to get in, just so you know."

"I'm surprised you weren't caught considering how big this basket is. Couldn't have been easy to be discreet." The dark haired boy mused as his two friends began to pull some things out for themselves.

"Was touch and go for a minute." One of them admitted and, by the fact he was speaking with his mouth full, Harry realised it must have been Fred as George never spoke with his mouth full.

"Yeah, almost got caught by Filch at one point." George agreed before Harry saw him stuff an entire cup cake in his mouth quite easily.

"But other than that it was easy." Fred finished before swallowing the food in his mouth.

"Thank Merlin for the Marauder's Map, that's what we say." George grinned, earning a nod from his twin.

"What about the house-elves?" Harry inquired curiously as he rummaged around in the basket a bit before pulling out a pumpkin pasty. "And where did you get this basket anyway?"

"The house-elves were easy to handle; Fred distracted them while I raided the larder." George answered as he slid the basket over to him to choose his next cake.

"As for the basket, we got Charlie to transfigure it out of an old odd sock we found at the bottom of my trunk." Fred grinned.

"And all we had to do was snag him a couple of handfuls of those honey and peanut biscuits that he likes so much."

"Well, that and promise to not prank him for the whole of this Summer."

"That won't be too hard though." George pointed out with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, we've still got Percy and ickle Ronnie-kins." Fred practically cackled.

Harry covered his mouth as he laughed at that, mostly to stop the cake in his mouth from shooting out everywhere. He kept it there until his chuckles had calmed before he allowed himself to lower it back onto the bed as he swallowed. His eyes flickering to his left, he was reminded of the presence of their other two dorm mates who were still fast asleep. "Shouldn't we wake them too?" He asked his two friends quietly, inclining his head in the direction of one of the other boys.

Both of the other boys wrinkled their noses at the same time. "Nah." George replied, dismissing the idea easily.

"To tell you the truth, we don't like them much." Fred revealed in a whisper, just to make sure that he wasn't over-heard in case the two sleeping boys weren't actually asleep.

"Really?" Harry asked, his eyebrows raising in surprise. He'd always thought that Fred and George were everyone's friends; they were so easy-going after all.

"They're so..." George began, trailing off as he struggled to think of the right word.

"Uptight." Fred supplied for him.

"That's it; uptight." George agreed with a small snap of his fingers and a nod of his head.

"Can't take a joke." Fred added.

"What did you two do to them?" Harry asked knowingly, wondering what could have happened without him knowing or being told about it.

"Nothing they didn't deserve." George muttered, leaning forward on his knees and glaring off over to the side of the room where one of the boys slept in his bed.

Harry blinked a couple of times at the boy in surprise, having never seen him look so annoyed and...Was that offence he saw as well? He turned to look at Fred curiously but merely got a soft look and a small shake of the head in answer. Guessing it was a touchy subject, Harry smiled brightly at the pair in an attempt to put them both at ease again. "Doesn't matter then. I know what it's like to be stuck around people you don't like."

It was Fred and George's turn to be surprised now as they both looked at their friend in surprise. "There're people you don't like?" Fred asked curiously.

"You? Mr. Nice Guy, sweetest Gryffindor for years?" George added.

Harry frowned lightly. "Where'd you get that from?"

"Heard a group of Sixth Year girls say it." Fred grinned in amusement.

"Don't change the subject though!" George insisted, leaning forward eagerly. "So who is it that you don't like?"

"It's nothing interesting; just all of Draco's friends." Harry told them both.

"Ah, stuck up pure-bloods in other words." Fred said knowingly, nodding his head in agreement.

"Well known fact that Slytherin's the best House to find those sort in." George mused casually, picking a small strawberry tart out of the picnic basket.

"Not surprising you weren't put in there really."

"Yeah. Despite the fact you've spent most of your life around past Slytherin's, you're not suited for life in the Snake Pit."

As the two Weasley twins once again started on the food and began to discuss what could possibly be in store for them that Summer, Harry found his mind wandering to something they had said. What they had said, it was the third time he'd been told that he wouldn't do well in Slytheirn. But the Sorting Hat had said he'd do well in Slytherin. So what did that mean? Were the people around him wrong, or had the Sorting Hat been wrong? For some reason, both possibilities made him feel acutely uncomfortable.

20th June 1990: Midday

"See ya Harry!" Fred and George called in unison, each half hanging out of one of the windows of the Hogwarts Express and waving madly to their dark haired friend.

Harry waved back cheerfully, a bright smile on his face. "See you both again soon! Don't forget to write!"

"We won't!" One of the twins assured, yelling over the sounds of the other students who were getting on board, milling around where Harry stood on the platform.

"We might even stretch to buying you a birthday present." The other twin teased playfully, giving a cheeky grin which made Harry laugh out loud. Around him, the number of people began to decrease as they all took their places on the train, ready to go home.

Harry suddenly noticed Charlie and Percy passing behind their two younger brothers on the train and so called out to them too: "See you in a few months Percy; good luck in finding a job Charlie!"

"Cheers Harry." Charlie replied, sticking his head out next to one of the twins'. "You keep yourself out of trouble alright?" Harry nodded to that and the second eldest Weasley son gave him a swift nod before drawing back inside the train only to be replaced seconds later by Percy's head.

"Have a good Summer Harry." Percy wished with a smile before he was jostled aside by Fred and George as the train began to pull away now that everyone who needed to be on board was.

"Bye Harry!" The twins called together, waving with renewed enthusiasm.

Harry bit back the wince at the twins' use of the 'b' word but kept the cheerful smile on his face, waving back to them with slightly less enthusiasm. The calls of farewell and the waving continued on until the window of the train the twins were hanging out of was a good distance away and it only ended then because Fred and George were pulled back inside by their older brothers who didn't want them to get themselves hurt. The sounds of the train faded away gradually, and slowly, Harry was left staring after it on the silent platform. Though, admittedly, it didn't stay silent for long.

"Well that certainly wasn't what I expected." Draco sighed as he strolled up to Harry's side.

"What wasn't?" The dark haired boy inquired, turning his head to look at his best friend.

"Our first year at Hogwarts." The blonde elaborated.

"Oh. How has it been different then?"

"Well, at the beginning of the Year I saw us spending a Hell of a lot more time together." Draco told the other boy with a light grin, playfully nudging his shoulder with his own. "I also thought the work was going to be much harder than it actually turned out to be."

"Not all bad then." Harry said with a smile.

"Nope, not bad at all, though I still wish we were sharing a dorm room rather than sleeping at separate ends of the school." The blonde sighed somewhat sadly.

"Cheer up Draco." The dark haired boy said playfully. "You've got a whole two months of me, me and nothing but me coming your way. Like I said before, you'll be sick of the sight of me by the time we come back to start Second Year."

"You reckon?" Draco mused as the two boys turned around and began to head over to the carriage which would take them back to the castle where Severus was waiting to take them home.

"I know I'll be sick of you by then." Harry joked with a laugh.

Draco gave a small grunt. "Funny."

"Yes," Harry agreed, linking his arm with Draco's and moving so they were walking a little closer together. "I thought so."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

11th August 1990: Midday

With a loud crack, Harry and his father appeared several feet away from the Weasleys' family home. The dark haired boy's legs felt rather wobbly beneath him as they usually did when he Apparated and used the firm figure of Severus to remain upright, clinging to the man's arm tightly until he felt confident enough to let his legs fully support him once again.

A week or so prior, the twins had written to Harry and invited him along with them and the rest of their family on an outing to a Muggle zoo. The idea of going anywhere outside the Wizarding world instantly caught Harry's attention but he was at first reluctant to accept the invitation, feeling guilty about the fact he would be leaving his father on his own for most of that day. However, he had soon been assured that the Potions Master would find the time by himself useful as there were several potions he needed to brew which needed his undivided attention. That had helped with Harry's decision to accept the offer but he still felt obscurely guilty. True, he had spent the day away from his father before but that had been with Lucius and Draco and that had made it different somehow, though he couldn't for the life of him decently explain why.

"Are you sure you'll be all right on your own today Father?" Harry checked for the dozenth time that week.

"I have spent days on my own and survived to tell the tale before Haryon." Severus pointed out as they started forward, towards the front door of the Burrow.

"I know, I just...I just don't want you to get lonely I guess." The dark haired boy admitted quietly, looking down at his feet as he walked, his hand held lightly in his father's.

"I'm not one for loneliness." He told Harry and the boy held back a snort at that; total lie. "But on the rare occasions I do fall foul to such sentimental clap-trap, I merely have to remind myself that you will not be gone forever. It will only be a few hours until I arrive to take you back home."

Harry said nothing to that, partly as they had reached the front door and Severus had just knocked on it and also because there wasn't much he could say to that. The dark man beside him had a point; he'd only be with the Weasley's for five, six hours maximum. He'd be back home before he knew it. If there was anything he felt a desire to comment on however it was calling loneliness "sentimental clap-trap". That was a bit harsh in Harry's opinion and he was very tempted to call the man on it but he had a feeling it would lead to an argument and he so hated to argue with his father.

A few moments after Severus had knocked on the Weasley's door, it swung inwards to reveal the smiling pair of Fred and George, neither looking the least bit intimidated by the presence of Snape. That did make sense though; after all, how can you be afraid of someone when you know they have a major sweet-tooth and still enjoy the odd cuddle with their twelve year old son?

"Harry." George greeted him cheerfully, wearing a bright yellow knitted jumper with a big blue G in the middle.

"And Professor Snape." Fred greeted Harry's father, wearing a bright blue knitted jumper with a big yellow F in the middle.

"Come on in." They both invited together, stepping clear of the door so that the father and son could enter. Harry led the way, pulling the dark man in by the hand.

The Burrow, Harry noted to himself, wasn't that much larger than his and his father's cottage which was surprising considering there were a lot more people living in this house than in his father's cottage. However, it was a lot lighter and brighter than his home. The scent of fresh baking tickled his nose pleasantly, little nick-knacks were placed everywhere, on one of the big comfy-looking arm chairs there was some floating knitting needles which were knitting by themselves and the whole area was just bright and seemed filled with light. A huge contrast to his own house which usually smelt of old potions, was so uncluttered and neat it could have been a hotel and was also dark even when sun light streamed in through the windows in the middle of the day. Not that Harry was complaining; merely pointing out facts.

"Mum?" George called into the house suddenly, causing Harry to wince slightly as he was standing right next to the ginger haired boy.

"Dad?" Fred called out afterwards, luckily far away enough from Harry to not hurt the dark haired boy's ears.

A few seconds of nothing passed before Mrs Weasley came scurrying out of the kitchen, wiping her hands off on her apron and Mr Weasley came down the stairs, having previously been upstairs. Harry was rather surprised with the appearances of the two Weasley parents as he had seldom seen anyone dressed as they were. Being brought up in the environment that he had, around the people that he had, it was a rare thing for him to see any adult in anything other than formal, expensive robes/clothes usually either in black or some other dark shade. The Weasley parents however were dressed in a way which Harry would describe as more comfortable than aesthetically pleasing. It suited them both though; he didn't think expensive robes would look right on them, just as the clothes Mr Weasley was wearing wouldn't look right on his own father.

"Harry, Professor Snape, this is our mum and dad." Fred introduced the two adults cheerfully, gesturing towards them as they came to a stop a few feet away from Harry and his father.

"Mum, Dad, this is Harry and his dad Professor Snape." George introduced the two dark haired males.

"It's very nice to meet you both." Harry told Mr and Mrs Weasley politely while his father gave them a small inclination of his head.

"It's very nice to meet you too Harry." Mrs Weasley returned in a motherly way.

"Hope you're looking forward to today Harry." Mr Weasley said to him afterwards, shaking his hand in greeting.

"Very much Sir, I've never been anywhere in the Muggle world before." Harry answered, allowing only a small amount of his enthusiasm to be shown, ever mindful of the lessons his father and godfather had tried to teach him, at least when he was around one of them.

"Well, we'll be having a bit of lunch before we leave." Mrs Weasley told him as she stepped to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder before tilting her head up to look at Severus. "Would you care to join us for a while?"

"Thank you for the offer but I have things I have to do." The dark man told her politely and that made Harry smile to himself; Severus' natural reaction to anyone was to be mean and snarky, to treat the Weasley's with such courtesy was intentional and most likely done for his sake. "I'll see you later on Haryon." His father told him and Harry made sure to reach out to hold him back before he could make his quick retreat.

"Have a good day Father." Harry wished as he stood up on tip-toes. Severus recognised his son's actions and leaned down dutifully to accept the kiss on the cheek. With that done, he straightened up, gave a stiff nod to the Weasleys and then glided out of the front door again, shutting it behind him, officially leaving Harry with the family of red-heads for the afternoon.

The dark haired boy looked after where his father had left until he felt two pairs of hands on each of his arms. Snapping himself out of his stare, Harry turned his head to look at the two twins standing either side of him grinning playfully.

"C'mon Harry." Fred urged as they both dragged him along towards the stairs.

"We'll show you our bedroom." George added.

"Just one minute you two." Mrs Weasley's voice stopped them in their tracks. The three twelve year olds stopped and turned to look at the husband and wife behind them. "At least let Harry get out of his cloak and shoes first."

"Fine."

"We'll help."

And with that, the two twins began to help Harry out of his outdoor clothes, one working on the clasps of his cloak while the other worked on the laces of his boots. They made such a fuss over it though that soon the three boys were all giggling uncontrollably, Harry losing his balance when it came to taking off his boots which only made them all laugh even more. It was then that Mrs Weasley shook her head at the performance and retreated back into the kitchen to continue with making lunch while Mr Weasley went upstairs when there was a frightened scream from one person and then an angry cry of Fred and George's name from another person.

That also drew Harry's attention and he calmed himself enough to speak: "What was that?"

"Darling Ronnie-kins must've found the spider we planted on his pillow."

"Fake spider of course."

"Though enchanted to look and act real." George grinned.

"Oh, you mean that one Bill sent you for your birthday?" Harry laughed as they all got back onto his feet. He wasn't answered though as just after he'd spoken, several footsteps came down the stairs.

Moments later, Mr Weasley, Charlie, Percy and a much smaller red-haired boy with a flushed face, who Harry guessed was most likely Ron, came swinging around the corner. Curiously, Percy looked rather wet which produced a few snickers from Fred and George. Seeing the empty glass in Ron's hand, it was more than likely that its contents had somehow ended up on Percy's head.

"You two are completely insufferable!" Percy yelled angrily, stomping right up to the twins.

"Oh c'mon Percy, it was only a joke and it's not their fault that you were standing behind Ron when he threw his hands up and his water went flying over his shoulder." Charlie pointed out, obviously amused by the situation but doing the mature thing of staying as neutral as possible.

"You would say that! All you ever do is encourage them! And that sort of behaviour should be stopped not encouraged." Percy snapped at his older brother before turning back to look at the still smirking twins. "And you two need to grow up! Honestly, the way you both behave is shameful to this family!"

"Hey, that's a bit much!" Fred protested

"More like you're a shame on this family!" George snapped, supporting his twin.

"Yeah, you're such a boring stick in the mud!"

"And you walk like you've got a stick up your bum!"

Harry tried desperately to bite back the bark of laughter that threatened to escape him upon hearing that. He liked Percy, he had nothing against him and he did often think it was a little unfair how often the twins pulled pranks on him. Still, the twins might have a point with the whole "stick up the bum" thing. Laughing would only make things so much worse though. World War III looked to be on the verge of breaking out in the Weasley's living room at that moment and neither Percy nor Fred and George needed any more provocation. Harry noted that, quite wisely, both Charlie and Ron had retreated into the kitchen with their mum; he really wished he was in there with them.

Luckily, Mr Weasley was there to keep the peace and stop the blood-shed. "Okay, okay, let's just all calm down now shall we?" The easy-going man suggested calmly, stepping in between the angry Percy and the annoyed twins. "There's no need to get so worked up Percy." He told his third eldest before turning to look at the twins. "And your mother and I have already told you two about playing tricks on your brothers." The man said with a barest hint of a scowl on his face. "Now I want you two to apologise to your older brother."

"Sorry Percy." The twins said in unison, not sounding the least bit sorry and the annoyed glared remaining on their faces.

"There, that's it then, all better." Mr Weasley said cheerfully as he patted the still scowling Percy on the back. "Now, what do you all say to having some lunch ay?" That got no verbal reply but that might've been because no one saw the necessity of one rather than it being because everyone was too worked up to humour their father. The ginger haired man seemed completely un-phased however and just cheerfully strolled off into the kitchen followed moments later by Percy.

"Never a dull moment in this house then." Harry joked in an attempt to lighten the mood of the Weasley twins. It worked well enough as soon the two identical boys were grinning back.

"Not with us around at least." Fred chuckled proudly.

"C'mon, let's get something to eat and we'll introduce you to Ronnie-kins and Ginny." George said as he and Fred each grabbed one of Harry's arms each and began to drag him over to the door-way into the kitchen.

The three boys entered the crowded kitchen to be confronted with the sight of chaos: Mrs Weasley was admirably trying to cook something on the stove while also trying to deal with Ron who kept moaning on about something; a small girl, who Harry guessed was Ginny, sat on the counter next to her mum with a glass of pumpkin juice in her hand; Percy sat at the kitchen table, still looking rather cheesed off with the entire family; Charlie was obviously helping his mum with the cooking as he was busy peering into the oven; and Mr Weasley was just sort of hovering around, not appearing to be doing anything. Maybe calling it chaos was a bit much but it certainly was very busy.

"Hey Harry, wanna biscuit?" Fred offered from where he and his twin brother were over by the counter Ginny was on and was also where the biscuit barrel rested.

"No you two, no biscuits, not this close to lunch." Mrs Weasley ordered over her shoulder, finally free from Ron who had obviously given up trying to tell her whatever he had originally been trying to before.

As far as Harry was concerned, that was the end of the matter. However, as soon as Mrs Weasley had turned her back again, the twins were upon the biscuit barrel, completely ignoring her direct order, unscrewing the lid and quickly taking out a couple of biscuits each. Then, almost as an after thought, George reached back into it and pulled out another biscuit which he quickly and discreetly handed to Ginny.

"Harry, this is our little sister Ginny," George told the dark haired boy as the youngest Weasley accepted the illegal biscuit.

"Hi." She greeted Harry somewhat shyly, with a small wave which Harry returned along with a warm smile.

"And our darling little Ronnie-poo who we've already told you so much about." Fred introduced the youngest male Weasley as he went to walk past them, pinching the younger boy's cheek affectionately.

"Get off me!" Ron ordered irritably, going to smack his brother's hand away but moving too slow.

Harry smiled at the antics of the two boys before giving Ron a friendly smile, drawing the boy's attention to him. "I've heard a lot about you Ron; it's nice to finally be able to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." Ron returned a little awkwardly, apparently making a conscious effort to keep his eyes anywhere but on Harry's face.

"Is something wrong?" The dark haired boy asked innocently, not understanding why the boy, who was only a little shorter than himself despite being two years younger, was so reluctant to look him in the face.

"Um, well, no, there's nothing wrong. I was, uh, I was just wondering if..." Ron trailed off, his fingers twiddling together in front of him.

"Yes?" Harry prompted kindly.

"I was just wondering if maybe I could see your scar?" The youngest male Weasley asked quickly, a tinge of hope laced in his voice.

All movement in the kitchen stopped at that moment as every occupant in the kitchen turned to stare aghast at the two boys of similar height, each horrified at the request. Harry was merely surprised though and he blinked a couple of time, unsure of how to react to that request. It seemed a little...Well, it seemed a little strange to him, being asked to show someone the scar Voldemort had given him. It had never happened before, not even in the beginning when he had first defeated the Dark Lord and the entire Wizarding population of Great Britain seemed to have Harry-fever. What surprised him even more was the reaction of the Weasley family to the request. It was all a bit weird but he saw no harm in granting Ron's request.

"Erm, sure, okay." Harry said somewhat nervously as he lifted his long fringe from where it was intentionally brushed to one side so that it would cover said scar.

Ron's eyes widened at the sight of it and he leaned a little closer as if there was some hidden detail there that needed closer examination. "Wicked." He breathed in awe.

"Leave the senseless gawking for when we get to the zoo ay Ron?" Charlie chided him easily after another few seconds of the youngest male Weasley doing nothing but staring intently at Harry's forehead.

That seemed to be enough to remind Ron of his manners as he instantly dropped his gaze and went back to not knowing where to look. "Sorry." He mumbled uncomfortably.

"Doesn't matter." Harry assured with a smile, obviously succeeding in reassuring the younger boy as he lifted his eyes and gave a small, tentative smile of his own.

"Harry, dear, is pumpkin juice all right with your lunch?" Mrs Weasley inquired then, obviously wanting to move them off of the subject they had just been on and get things back to normal.

"Pumpkin juice would be just fine Mrs Weasley, thank you." Harry assured politely much to the amusement of Fred and George.

"Such wonderful manners." Mrs Weasley praised with a bright smile before she shot a small frown at Fred and George who were pinching yet more biscuits. "Merlin knows why you two can't be more like him."

"Be fair Mum." George protested before quickly stuffing a biscuit into his mouth.

"Yeah. Harry grew up with Snape as his father." Fred pointed out.

"It's a miracle that he even has a sense of humour."

"Oi, do you mind? That's my father you're talking about." Harry reminded with a light frown, not appreciating the slightly negative comments aimed at the man who had raised him.

In reaction to that, Fred slapped George around the back of the head none too gently, earning a cry from the assaulted twin. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You have all the sensitivity of a troll with tooth ache sometimes." Fred hissed to his brother, scolding him for being so careless with his words.

"That's enough of that boys." Mrs Weasley told them as she nudged herself between them, partly to separate them but also because she needed to set the pie in her hands on the table. Once it had been carefully placed down, she stood up straight with her hands on her hips, looking rather pleased. "All right, you can all sit down now; it's time to eat."

11th August 1990: Afternoon

By mid-afternoon, Harry found himself agreeing with the opinion of Mr Weasley full-heartedly; Muggles really were the most fascinating people. The clothes they wore were so strange and the things that some of them had with them, especially the children. In fact, they had passed a family where the daughter had an odd sort of rectangular box in her hands which made a lot of noise and which seemed to totally absorb her attention. Very odd in Harry's opinion; fascinating, but odd.

Another thing about Muggles that Harry had noticed is that they appeared to be incredibly stupid in some cases. Not all of them, but quite a few of them. For example, when they had been looking at the monkeys, (something Fred and George took great delight in) there had been a family a few feet away from where they had been standing, also looking at the monkeys. However, those Muggles hadn't just been looking, they'd been poking their hands through the bars and holding out pieces of the various snacks they were eating when there was a sign directly next to them saying "please do not feed the animals". Such a blatant disregard for a rule could only mean that either the Muggles were too stupid to read a sign, too blind to see the sign or obnoxious enough to just totally ignore the sign. None of those were particularly desirable qualities.

On the animal front though, everything the family and Harry had seen so far that day had been wonderful. They'd been to the aviary, seen the giraffes, watched the lions sleep off their lunch, walked through the aquarium three times, hurried through the area where all the insects and spiders were on display at Ron's insistence and, of course, spent more than their fair share of time looking at the primates. It was where they were at the moment which was Harry's favourite place however; the reptile house.

Maybe it was because he had spent so much time around Wyverns who were more reptile than anything else or maybe it was because he'd been brought up in a family of Slytherins, but Harry had always liked reptiles more than any other species. He liked their skin, he liked the googly eyes of iguanas, he liked the flickey tongues of snakes and he liked the fact that if a lizard got its tail chopped off, it would grow another one. Reptiles were just fascinating creatures in Harry's opinion and he could quite happily spend the entire day just watching them barely moving.

Because that's what they were doing; barely moving.

In fact, the python that Harry was currently watching hadn't moved for the whole of the eight and a half minutes that Harry had been in the area though he had only been watching it for the past four minutes or so. It was such a beautiful creature that Harry didn't even miss the fact that the snake wasn't moving. Despite being totally captivated with the creature behind the glass in front of him, he was still aware of where the Weasley family was. He could hear Fred and George giggling like hyaenas somewhere a bit further away and out of the corner of his eye he could see where Mr Weasley was wandering around with Ginny sitting on his shoulders.

Abruptly, Harry's attention was completely taken away from the lovely python when a rather fat boy shoved him aside and stuck his face right up to glass. "Why isn't it doing anything? Make it do something!" The fat boy demanded as whale of a man came up behind him along with a stick thin, rather pompous looking woman.

The fat man banged on the glass a couple of times. "Oi, wake up!" He ordered the snake and Harry rolled his eyes at the sight. Idiotic Muggle; like a snake is really going to listen to someone so grotesquely common.

"He's boring." The little fat boy muttered as he flounced away from the tank, heading off to torment some other poor creature no doubt.

"Damn Mugglesss. Ssshould be put in a cage themssselvesss, sssee how thhhey like it." Harry muttered to himself as he resumed his previous position, glaring after the podgy little idiot.

"I sssooo totallllly agree." A hissed voice answered him, causing Harry to turn his head quickly. To his great surprise, he saw that the python had now raised its head and was looking at Harry curiously.

"Erm...Did you jussst sssay sssomethhhing?" Harry asked uncertainly, unaware that the words that came out of his mouth were anything but English.

"Yesss, I did." The snake confirmed, bobbing its head a little before tilting it to the side in a gesture of confusion which seemed far to human for Harry's liking. "I never knew thhhat you lot could talk; no one ever hasss before."

"Oh, well, I, uh, I didn't know that sssnakesss could talk either." Harry admitted unsurely, glancing around himself quickly to see if anyone else had noticed the strange talking snake.

"It'sss niccce to talk to sssomeone again. Being ssstuck in here all day can get quite lonely." The snake told him somewhat forlornly, uncurling and slithering further towards the glass, further towards Harry.

"I can imagine." Harry agreed sympathetically. "It sssaysss here that you're originally from Brazzzil. Wasss it niccce there? Do you missss your family?" The snake merely inclined its head to the sign by the tank that Harry had never noticed before reading "Bred in Captivity". "Oh, I sssee."

"Probably for the bessst." The snake sighed. "At leassst I cannot missss what I'vvve never known. Ssstill, I would like to go there sssomeday or anywhere really; jussst so long asss I can be free."

"Yesss, I imagine it'sss not that much fun to have people pressssing their big, ugly facccesss in on you all day." Harry sympathised. "My life usssed to be a bit like that. I did sssomethhhing that made me famousss and from then on no one would leave me alone for agesss."

"Hmm, intelligent and famousss; creaturesss like you are very rare indeed. I usssed to ssshare thisss place with another sssnake, though he wasss a complete idiot. Couldn't ssstand him. Kept insssissting that becaussse we were in here we were famousss. I suppossse he may have had a point but I don't really care for that sssort of thing. I jussst want to be leffft alone."

"You and me bothhh." Harry sighed, quite enjoying this conversation he was having with the snake.

However, once again his time was cut off abruptly when the ugly, fat Muggle boy returned, shoving Harry away rather more roughly than he had last time, sending him crashing to the floor, landing on his backside roughly. "Mummy, Daddy, come look at what this snake's doing!" He gasped in awe, once again pressing his big ugly face up against the glass.

Complete and utter disgust welled up inside Harry and he glared at the fat boy darkly, wanting nothing more than to wipe the stupid expression off the little snot's face, pacifism be damned. Then, suddenly, the glass covering the front of the tank disappeared, causing the fat Muggle to tip forward, landing with a splash inside the tank. Harry watched with a mixture of shock, amusement and slight bewilderment as that happened and the python slid out of his tank, totally scaring the wits out of the fat boy as it passed him, and landed on the floor with a light thump. It wasted no time in slithering forward until it reached Harry's feet where it paused and looked up at him.

"Are you alright?" The snake asked. Harry could only nod. "I'm off to Brazzzil then. Thanksss."

"Erm, no problem." Harry hissed, a small smile quirking the corners of his mouth.

The snake gave him a wink before slithering off again, heading for the exit, causing various people to scream as it did so. Harry watched the snake go until it was no longer visible and was then instantly reminded of the fat Muggle boy when a muffled cry and the sound of banging on a window came. Turning to look, Harry saw, to his great delight, that the glass had reappeared across the tank, trapping the boy inside it. The situation only got funnier when the Muggle's parents saw him. The woman screamed and the man's face turned a shocking shade of red.

Unable to help himself, Harry burst out laughing, still not having bothered to get up off of the floor. All around him, people were leaving the area as instructed as the place now had to be searched for the escaped python. Harry's continued laughing coupled with the fact that there wasn't anything else making a noise was enough to draw the man's attention to him and he suddenly found himself being yanked to his feet by the arm by the whale of a man, his feet actually leaving the floor a little bit. His laughter immediately stopped and he opened his eyes to face the Muggle head on, only slightly afraid but fully prepared to defend himself if the need popped up.

"You're one of those freaks aren't you?" The man practically spat, lifting Harry up a little more and bringing his face in close.

"Says the fattest man I've ever seen." Harry shot back, struggling to get his wrist free from the man's punishing grip.

"What did you do to my son?" He demanded, his face going even more red and Harry quite honestly thought that the man might pop at any moment.

"As far as I know I didn't do anything, now let be go you damn, blasted Muggle!" Harry yelled, once again struggling to free himself.

"I knew it! You are one of those bloody freaks!" The man boomed and Harry only struggled harder, desperate to get away now.

"Harry!" Charlie's voice suddenly came and Harry whispered a quiet prayer of thanks to his Great Lady for the rescue. "Excuse me Sir, but what do you think you're doing exactly?"

"This little freak trapped my son in that tank." The man answered heatedly, gesturing over to the tank, yanking Harry in the process and making him wince slightly. It didn't pass Charlie by and in an instant he had his wand drawn and pointed directly at the Muggle. The man paled at the sight and his small, piggy eyes widened. "I knew it; your both freaks! Well you don't scare me;" though he certainly sounded rather scared, "I want my son out of there now!"

Glaring darkly, with a flick of his wand, Charlie took away the glass, allowing the Muggle boy to scramble out, immediately running to his mother's arms. The glass was replaced with another flick before the wand was once again turned onto the Muggle man who was still holding Harry's arm up in an uncomfortably grip. "There, your son's out, now let him go." The Weasley ordered in the harshest tone that Harry had ever heard the usually easy going young man use.

"Charlie! What are you doing?" One of the twins' voice suddenly came.

"We're supposed to be finding Harry, not..." The other one said as they came around a corner in a run. They both skidded to a stop the instant they saw the situation though and took no more than a couple of glances at each person present before opening their mouths, not taking their eyes of off Harry and the fat Muggle man.

"Dad! We need help right now!" They called together, their gazes not moving in the least.

"Our dad will be along any second and I really don't think you want to deal with a fully grown wizard, do you?" Charlie growled angrily, obviously losing his patience.

The Muggle man took several seconds to consider that before he appeared to make the smart choice of letting Harry go. The moment the small, dark haired boy's feet touched down on the floor properly, he immediately hurried over to Charlie, his hand coming up to rub at his sore arm. Charlie reached out for Harry the second the boy was close enough and pulled him behind his protectively, keeping his wand pointed on the Muggle still, as though he was still somehow a threat to them.

A few seconds of tense silence passed, neither side knowing what to do next, until Mr Weasley came around the corner, looking slightly out of breath. Despite that however, he still sounded rather intimidating when he spoke after taking in the situation. "Charlie, what's going on?"

"C'mon, we're going, now." The fat Muggle said suddenly, stalking past Charlie and Harry, causing the dark haired boy to edge further behind the tall Weasley, and quickly followed by his wife and son.

No sooner had they gone than Mr Weasley, Fred and George hurried over to where Charlie and Harry stood. "Harry, are you alright?" George asked quickly as he and his twin brother went straight to his side.

"What on Earth did you think you were doing Charlie? Threatening a Muggle with your wand?" Mr Weasley scolded, his tone disappointed and disbelieving.

"He already knew about wizards Dad, made it quite clear when he kept referring to Harry and myself as freaks." Charlie muttered as he slipped his wand away. "And I wouldn't have had to threaten him if it wasn't for the fact he wouldn't let Harry go."

"He was practically holding Harry off the floor Dad!" Fred told the man earnestly.

"We saw it." George supported.

"Harry?" Mr Weasley asked gently though seriously.

Harry looked away uncomfortably for a second, carefully considering exactly what it was he wanted to tell the eldest Weasley. "He...He blamed me for something that happened to his son..."

"It's alright Harry, we don't blame you, you couldn't have done anything, you don't have your wand with you." Charlie reassured him kindly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Harry stayed silent though, not in the least comforted by his friend's words. After all, he had done it, hadn't he? He had made the glass disappear and he had managed to do it without the help of his wand.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

12th August 1990: Afternoon

Harry carefully looked through the books on the shelves he was currently standing in front of inside Flourish & Blotts. He idly ran his fingers against the spines of those he looked over, trailing the tips just underneath the titles, his head tilted at an odd angle so that he could better read the side-wards writing.

It was once again that time of year when he journeyed to Diagon Alley with his father, godfather and Draco to get his new school supplies for the rapidly approaching return to Hogwarts. He had thought to himself only earlier that day that it seemed like only yesterday that he was here getting ready for his first year. Now look at him; an inch and a half taller, (now proudly standing at a grand total of five feet and two inches) about to become an oh so mature Second Year. However, despite his excitement at starting the new school year, he had strayed from his task of searching for his needed school books, instead settling on a different search.

Yesterday, after the fuss at the zoo had died down and he was back home, as well as after his father had stopped ranting about Muggles and planning rather nasty deaths for whole civilisations of them, Harry had realised something rather startling. The python that he had somehow released; he'd spoken to it. He'd actually had a conversation with a snake. Now, he knew that for some wizards, that was a very possible thing to happen. It was called being a pastelmouth or something along those lines. However, it was only for a very few wizards and witches. In fact, it was a rather uncommon ability. And there was something else which chewed at him as well; Voldemort had been able to do it too.

Was that just a coincidence? Harry wasn't sure if he believed in coincidences anymore. But even if it was just a coincidence, it wasn't a nice one. It just meant that there was yet another way to be able to link him to the foul wizard and that was the last thing he wanted. Before he started to beat himself up about it too much though, Harry was determined to find out more information on the subject. Hence his current search. Surely if anywhere was going to have an academic book on pas-whatever then it would be this place. After all, he didn't need anything really in-depth, just enough to prove or disprove his theory.

Ducking down a little, Harry's eyes scanned the second to bottom shelf in search of anything which may prove useful to him. Suddenly, he caught sight of a rather thin, black paperback book practically hidden away between the other thicker, hardback books. One the spine, in emerald green print, was the title and author:

Snake Charming: An Introduction to the Language of Parseltongue I.S.Nake

PARSELtongue, that was what it was called! It seemed so obvious now that he knew it.

Harry quickly slid the book out from its position sandwiched in between two other, rather thicker, books and looked the cover over briefly before opening it to a few pages in, hoping to find a contents page or something. A contents page was indeed present and a second or two of reading revealed that the information he wanted was in the second chapter, "The Gift of Parseltongue and Those Who Possess It". He wasted no time in flicking forward to it and then skim reading until he found something about what he specifically wanted to know.

Pretty soon, he'd found a handy list of twenty questions which you could ask yourself to determine whether you were a parselmouth or not. They remained pretty basic questions the whole way through the list, simply trying to determine whether you were a parselmouth or not, ("Have you ever had a conversation with a snake? Or failing that, have you ever heard a conversation between two snakes?" "Do you hear snakes hiss or speak your native language?").

After the twenty questions were through, Harry read that if you had answered yes to fifteen or more of the questions then you were most likely a parselmouth. At that point, Harry had felt himself relax as he had only answered nine with a yes. However, he then read on and saw the line which told him that if a person had answered questions one, seven and eighteen with a yes, then they were a parselmouth, even if the other seventeen had been answered no. Harry's luck being in the state that it was, those three questions were part of the nine he had answered yes to.

So there it was. He was a parselmouth. Just like Voldemort.

Harry felt his heart sink and his stomach turn. The Press would have a field day if they ever found out about this. With that in mind, he quickly slid the book back in its place on the shelf before hurrying away from the area in search of his father, Draco or his godfather. No way in Hell was he going to let anyone know he could speak to snakes. It would just be something he kept to himself. There was no need to tell anyone anyway. So he could talk to snakes; big deal. It was hardly as if he was coming across snakes every day and it was very doubtful that he'd ever actually need to speak to a snake.

"Harry?" Draco's voice interrupted the dark haired boy's thoughts, drawing his attention to the slightly taller blonde who was now standing next to him.

"Hmm?" Harry hummed in reply, trying desperately to sound nonchalant.

"Are you feeling alright? You look awfully pale." The blonde murmured as he stepped closer and pressed his head to Harry's forehead. "You're temperature's normal. Do you feel sick or anything?"

"I-I'm fine." Harry insisted quickly, stepping away from his best friend's hand. "Maybe it's just the lighting in here making me look paler than I actually am. Honestly, I feel perfectly fine."

Draco regarded him carefully for a few moments before he seemed to accept Harry's answer. The blonde relaxed his stance and frown, his expression becoming easy and relaxed, before he reached a hand forward and took hold of the dark haired boy's arm so he could tug him along. "I've been looking for you for a while now; come help me find our Defense Against the Dark Arts book."

Harry followed along wordlessly, allowing himself to be lead across the store and up the stairs, thankful that his weak assurances had been accepted without question.

2nd September 1990: Morning

Harry looked from his godfather to his father curiously, confused by both of their current states. Both men looked rather flustered, their cheeks tinted a pale pink, though his father was worse than the blonde. His godfather looked mildly uncomfortable while his father looked rather panicked. Very out of character for both of them.

His godfather had come to collect him for his two day stay at Malfoy Manor before Hogwarts started as his father had so go to the school early to brew various potions to restock the Infirmary. As instructed, Harry had gone up to his room to grab his trunk and Hedwig's cage. When he had come back down and first laid eyes on the two men, they had looked how they currently were; flustered and blushing.

"Are you both alright?" The dark haired boy asked carefully, looking from one man to the other.

"We're fine Haryon. Just a little...Hot." Lucius assured only to be followed by a somewhat strangled sound from Severus.

Harry glanced at his father when he made the sound and frowned a little. He stepped right up to the dark man and, standing on tip toes and reaching up, just about managed to press the palm of his hand against his father's forehead. "It doesn't feel like you have a fever but maybe we should take your temperature just in case." He frowned a little in concern and looked at his flushed father carefully. "Maybe you shouldn't go back to Hogwarts just yet. I can stay home and look after you..."

"I'm fine Haryon." Severus assured his son, gently taking the boy's wrist and removing his hand from his forehead. "The room is just a little warm is all."

That made absolutely no sense to Harry as the room's temperature felt completely normal but he didn't call his father on that. People felt temperatures differently after all and now that his blush was fading, the dark haired man really didn't appear to be ill anymore. "Okay, as long as you're sure then?" He received a nod. With a sigh, he nodded himself. "I guess I'll see you again in a few days then."

"Enjoy yourself." His father wished as he leaned down to accept his son's kiss on his cheek.

"He always does." Lucius answered for Harry in a somewhat smug tone as he rested a hand on the dark haired boy's shoulder once he had kissed his father. "I thought we'd go out and have lunch as without Draco it's just the two of us." He told his godson, referring to the fact that his own son was staying with a one of his friends from school who would also be taking him to get the Hogwarts Express on the fourth of the month.

"That sounds good to me." Harry replied with a smile as he took the blonde man's hand in preparation to Apparate. "Take care Father."

"See you again soon Severus." Lucius drawled in a strange tone which Harry noticed caused the usually sombre man to blush intensely before his house vanished with a light pop.

2nd September 1990: Midday

A happy smile decorated Harry's face as he silently listened to his godfather talk to him about nothing in particular, just happy to have this time alone with the man. As usual, it was Lucius who was doing all the talking. It would probably surprise many a person if they ever found out that Lucius Malfoy could actually be quite the chatterbox when in the right company and if he had enough on his mind to talk about. And he obviously did have a lot to talk about, though that was understandable considering the last time the two of them had a decent conversation.

It had been so long since he and Lucius had spent any decent time together at all never mind being alone together. Unsurprisingly, Harry was enjoying himself immensely, glad to be in just his godfather's company. He wasn't sure why, but he had noticed before that when it was just himself and Lucius, the blonde man was usually a lot more relaxed then if Draco or Severus were also present. Maybe it was because Lucius felt the need to keep up appearances around the other two Slytherins or maybe when it was just him and Harry he felt more comfortable with playing the cool godfather who spoils his only godchild rotten, just because he could. No matter the reason though, Harry was glad it was the case.

It was when their meal was coming to the end, just as Harry was brought his dessert of a huge slice of warm chocolate cake with a copious amount of fresh, whipped cream, that he was actually required to have a speaking role in the conversation. As Harry lifted a forkful of cake to his mouth, his godfather spoke directly to him: "Haryon, may I ask you a question?"

With the tip of his fork still in his mouth, Harry looked up at Lucius curiously, rather surprised by the question. Slowly, he removed the fork and swallowed the contents of his mouth. "Of course you can. About what though?"

"I was just wondering; what are the Havanist views on relationships?" The blonde asked casually.

This was another reason that Harry liked spending time with his godfather; he was the only member of his family who ever regularly acknowledged his religion. His father seemed to merely tolerate Harry's practices, never commenting on them and rarely even acting as though it existed. Draco just plain wasn't interested in that part of Harry's life. Lucius on the other hand often made a point of wishing Harry a happy Nirhy at Christmas and he never hesitated to ask questions if he was curious about something. Having said that however, hadn't the man just hesitated now? Why did he suddenly feel the need to ask permission to ask such a question? It was strange to say the least.

"Relationships as in family or as in relationship relationships?" Harry checked.

"The latter."

"Erm, well, love is a sacred thing and should be celebrated no matter what, so as long as it's loving and wanted on both parts, any relationship is completely accepted." Harry explained, thinking as he spoke.

"Even between two members of the same gender?" Lucius inquired easily, causing Harry to blush.

"It doesn't matter. Gender, age, race, blood, beliefs; none of it matters as long as there's love there." The dark haired boy mumbled somewhat shyly.

Why was Lucius asking him all of this now? Could...Was it possible that the blonde had started a relationship with someone? It had been six years since Narcissa's death after all; it would be quite understandable if he did want to start seeing people again. He was an adult after all and Harry knew that adults had...Certain needs. And that question he had asked about same gender relationships; did that mean that Lucius was seeing another man? It was no bother to Harry if that were the case; after all, he firmly believed that gender played no part in love.

Breaking from his train of thought, Harry realised that his godfather had once again moved the conversation along and was talking about the new school year which would start in a few days. Casting the last conversation from his mind, Harry listened intently to Lucius' words. There was no point in continuously pondering the blonde's love-life. If there was something significant to know, his godfather would eventually tell him.

2nd September 1990: Evening

The conversation Harry had shared with Lucius on the Havanist views on relationships had continued to dance around his head for the remainder of the afternoon. However brief it had been, it had produced a question in Harry's mind which he really wanted answered: was his darling godfather lonely?

Maybe it was just the way that Harry had been raised coupled with his religious beliefs, but he honestly didn't think it was possible to live happily without regular, physically affectionate contact. And he had not seen Lucius have any other contact with anyone else besides a brief shaking of hands in greeting for absolute years. It worried the dark haired boy to say the least. He worried that his godfather was unhappy and lonely when something could so easily be done about it.

So that's why he was where he was now, standing outside the blonde man's study. He was determined to break through to the man and get him to accept a cuddle and he was going to go about it in a sneaky, dare he say Slytherin, way. The plan was to make Lucius feel like he was doing Harry a favour by allowing the boy to sit with him and then, when the time was right, Harry would pretend to fall asleep and slump across the blonde accordingly. Granted, it wasn't a fool-proof plan, there were several things which might not work properly and there was no guarantee that his godfather would take the cuddling opportunity. It was the best plan that Harry could come up with however, so it would just have to do. Though he didn't want to sound full of himself or arrogant, the dark haired boy was fairly confident that his plan would go how he wanted.

Ready for whatever it was that was to come, Harry raised his right hand and lightly tapped it on the door in front of him. Then, not waiting for an acknowledgement to come from the other side, he grasped the handle and turning it before pushing it open a little and peering inside. Lucius was sitting on the three-seat sofa directly opposite the open fire which was the only source of light in the room, save for the small candle which hovered in the air beside the blonde. It was a peaceful scene but Harry also considered it to be a rather lonely scene as well, reminding him of a lonely, old miser.

"Uncle Lucius?" Harry said quietly, stepping around the edge of the door but not coming any further into the room. The blonde looked up at him and the dark haired boy took that as an okay to go on. "I was wondering if you'd mind if I joined you." He explained, making sure to sound suitably timid and pleading; after all, the aim was to get Lucius to believe he was doing his godson a favour, not the other way around.

"I am busy Haryon; I have things which need to be completed for when I return to work on the day you return to Hogwarts." Lucius pointed out, looking back down at the sheets of paper on his lap, doing exactly what Harry had expected.

"I won't be any bother." Harry assured quickly, stepping into the room a little further. "I brought a book with me," and he held up the book to prove the fact, "I just got lonely is all..." He trailed off, knowing that he had sounded suitably meek.

Harry watched the cogs in Lucius' mind working as he processed the information and began to make his decision. Once the first few seconds had passed, Harry knew he'd won. If his godfather hadn't wanted him there, he'd have already sent him back to his room. The fact that the blonde was still thinking about it made an acceptance an almost sure thing.

"Very well then." Lucius sighed eventually, not looking up from his work. "As long as you don't distract me I have no argument with you reading in here with me."

"Thank you." Harry said quietly as he shut the door behind him with a quiet click before scurrying over to the sofa to join his godfather.

The dark haired boy made sure to settle himself quickly so as to cause as little disruption for the blonde beside him as possible. He didn't want to push his luck after all. Once he was sitting and comfortable, Harry opened his book to a random page with absolutely no intent on reading it properly. It was for display purposes only while he waited for the sufficient amount of time to pass to make him falling asleep seem plausible. He estimated that about fifteen to twenty minutes should be enough, it usually was.

Yes, Harry was no stranger to this type of trick; he used it regularly on his father whether it was to get the sour man to relax or to cheer him up when he was being stubbornly distant. Dealing with Severus had also taught Harry to fake sleep extremely effectively. Experience had shown that when the Potions Master was in a foul mood, he would sometimes take it out on his son if the boy happened to be around, with horribly cold words and then a long period of ignoring the boy especially if he was made to cry by the man's behaviour.

At the beginning, when Harry was younger and didn't know how to deal with the aftermath of these events, being ignored by Severus could go on for days for the mere fact that his father did not handle guilt very well and was even worse at saying sorry. It was still always the man who went to his son first in the end however. The reason Harry could never approach him first was because each and every time, he imagined that it was the last straw and that his father no longer loved or wanted him. One afternoon however, after a particularly horrible verbal attack from his father, Harry had cried himself to sleep in a corner that existed in the living room at their cottage created by their sofa and the wall. It was evening when he had woken up as his father picked him up and carried him off to bed. Before he had been able to tell the man he was awake, he had heard a very quiet, whispered "sorry" from the man. Although he couldn't have been sure, Harry was pretty certain the his father hadn't known he was awake at that moment. The next morning, Harry hadn't been afraid that Severus didn't love him because of that whispered apology and they had made up far more quickly than any other time.

From then on, after each of these little out-bursts from his father, Harry made a point of falling asleep somewhere other than his own bed so that the man would have to carry him up to bed and he always murmured an apology on the way. And, if Harry didn't feel sleepy, he'd pretend to be asleep. As he had grown older and he failed to cry after the out-bursts, faking sleep had been a necessity. It had taken him a while to fully master and had required using Draco as a test subject sometimes but he had eventually managed it. Now, at the prime age of twelve, Harry was a master of manipulating people and situations by faking sleep and the reason it worked so well was because no one ever suspected of him being the sort to do it.

Harry yawned lightly, bringing his hand up to cover his open mouth politely, only half faking it. It was getting quite late but he had intentionally waited until it was quite late. Partly because it fitted with the story, (night was usually the time that loneliness set in for most people) but also because it meant he could go to his godfather in his pyjamas. Harry had a theory you see. The reason the whole "pretending to sleep" thing worked so well was because of what falling asleep around someone else represented: trust; faith; innocence, and it was that last one which Harry used the most and emphasised with the pyjamas. He was a naturally small boy and he was not against using that and his innocent, bookish appearance to his advantage.

Don't look so surprised. There had to be a reason why the Sorting Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin after all and this was it.

Deciding that enough time had passed, Harry allowed his head to slump forward and his eyes close. His grip on his book relaxed completely and it slipped from his fingers, closing on his lap. He couldn't tell whether or not Lucius had noticed that he was now seemingly asleep but that hardly mattered; it was how the blonde reacted to the next part which was the important bit.

Carefully, but apparently completely naturally, Harry flinched his muscles just enough to knock his body off balance causing it to voluntarily slide down until he was half laying on the sofa and half laying on his godfather. He noted in displeasure that he hadn't exactly slumped in a very comfortable position and Lucius' arm was digging right into his chest. There was nothing he could do about it though without pretending to wake up and he wasn't about to do that. Hopefully, in a few seconds, he wouldn't have to do anything about it anyway; his godfather would do something about it for him.

This was it; the moment of truth. There were several things that Harry expected that his godfather might do: wake him up and send him to bed; wake him up and tell him to shuffle further down the sofa; shift Harry over himself without waking him or maybe, just maybe, he'd do as the boy hoped he would and allow him to continue to sleep against him, possibly even put his arm around his shoulders in a more comfortable position for them both. Only time would tell what would happen as despite the fact the wait was only a few seconds, it seemed to drag on and on.

Eventually, the wait ended and the query was answered. Carefully, gently and very hesitantly, Lucius brought his arm out from underneath Harry's body and curled it around the boys shoulders, pulling him closer. With an ease and seemingly unconscious movement which had only been achieved after many practices, the dark haired boy snuggled in closer to his godfather's side, aiming to reassure the man that the new position was more comfortable and was, unknowingly of course, appreciated. It seemed to work as the arm around his shoulders gave a very gentle squeeze as Lucius' body shifted beside him. Moments later, Harry felt a soft pressure on the top of his head through the cover of his hair and he was rather shocked to realise that it was the blonde's lips pressing a gentle kiss. Their presence left a second or two later and the body Harry was sprawled across straightened up, no doubt returning to the work papers.

Harry cheered mentally as he fought back the triumphant grin which threatened to spread across his face. It really was just far too easy to read the members of his family.

4th September 1990: Midday

Harry waved to his godfather enthusiastically from a window in the Hogwarts Express as the train began to pull away slowly. The past two days with just him and the blonde man had been wonderful and he knew he was going to miss the Malfoy elder more than usual. Because of that, he stayed by the window until the last possible moment. It wasn't until the platform and its occupants were completely out of sight before he turned away from the window and set off to find an empty compartment or Fred and George, depending on what happened first.

He had barely passed the doors to three compartments however, before he was abruptly yanked into one, the door sliding shut the moment he was fully inside. He quickly turned his head to see who it was, not really knowing what to expect, and was relieved to discover that it was Draco who stood opposite him. "A simple hello would have been okay you know." Harry grumbled, giving his best friend a playful glare.

"But not half as fun for me." The blonde Slytherin grinned before throwing himself into the Gryffindor's arms happily, letting out a happy hum. "I've missed this."

"Not me then?" Harry asked lightly, smiling in slight amusement as he rested his cheek on Draco's shoulder.

"No, just the hugs; pillows aren't as responsive as you." Draco teased playfully, giving the boy in his arms a squeeze.

"Hmph, bloody cheek." The dark haired boy mumbled before pulling away and sitting down in the middle of one of the seats. "So how comes you're in here waiting to ambush me and not with your other friends?" He inquired easily, thinking of nothing of it when the other boy sat down next to him and draped his arm over his shoulders.

"I've spent that last week or so with a good chunk of them whereas I haven't seen you in almost a month." Draco justified simply. "Besides, I've been suffering withdrawal symptoms from lack of your hugs; pillows really are no match for you."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Harry grinned before changing the subject. "So how was it with the Zabini's?"

"Same as always really."

"Are you still wary of their father?"

Draco didn't answer straight away and for a moment Harry feared that he had touched a too-raw nerve. However, before he could properly consider apologising, the blonde spoke: "People like him don't change without reason, they merely lie."

Harry didn't know what he could say to that, so he said nothing, instead opting to snuggle a bit closer to his best friends, offering what little comfort he could.

13th September 1990: Midday

"Woo! You show 'em Fred! Go on George!" Harry cheered enthusiastically from where he was sitting on the grass as he watched his two friends trying out for the Quidditch team. This year, there were only two spaces free and both of them were Beater positions. As far as Harry was concerned, the Weasley twins were the obvious choice; they were the only competition in the air. The new Quidditch captain was Oliver Wood, the team's Keeper since his Second Year. Harry wasn't sure why the Fourth Year had been picked for team captain as there were older players who had also played for longer but he never-the-less thought it was a good choice.

"Harry!" A call from Draco suddenly called the dark haired boy's attention. Harry turned to see the blonde coming towards him around the edge of the Quidditch Pitch. It was a little brazen of him, to stroll so casually through his rival House's Quidditch try-outs, he seemed completely un-phased by it.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked his best friend as the blonde came to a stop and stood beside him, looking as if he had no intention to sit down. No doubt part of the whole Malfoy-persona he felt he had to maintain when he was at Hogwarts.

"Nothing wrong with me coming to chat to my oldest friend." Draco replied easily, a small smirk on his face.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you really here for?" He asked, amused.

"I just thought you'd like to be the first outside of the dungeons to meet the new Slytherin Beater." Draco smirked. Translated into non-Malfoy speak it basically meant that the blonde was beyond excited and he wanted Harry to be one of the first to know rather than the other way around.

"That's wonderful Draco." Harry smiled up at his friend, knowing that a hug would be out of the question in such a public place and with so many Gryffindors around. "Congratulations."

Draco's smirk widened a little more before he looked up at the sky where the Gryffindor Quidditch players were whizzing around. "What positions are available for you lot then?"

"Both Beater positions."

"That all?" The blonde asked, looking back down at the dark haired boy.

"That's all." Harry confirmed. "I reckon Fred and George are gonna get both positions; they're by far the best of today and I don't think there's anyone else who wants to try out."

"Not even you?" Draco asked completely seriously though still Harry laughed lightly at the idea.

"Oh yeah, me as a Beater, that'd go really well wouldn't it? No, you know me Draco; Quidditch is all right to play for fun but I wouldn't want to play when it's all serious and official." He told the Slytherin easily.

"Hmm, you never have been much for competition." Draco murmured, mostly to himself as he stared out at nothing across the pitch.

For a few minutes, neither boy said anything or moved. Eventually however, Harry found he had to speak. "I don't think the others would be too pleased if they realised you were here while they're doing Quidditch stuff."

"Hmm, yes, I suppose you're right." Draco conceded. "I'll leave you now then, if only to spare you the aggravation of an argument between myself and your friends though that would be hugely entertaining for me." With that, Draco leaned down and pressed a small kiss to Harry's hair line. A bright blush bloomed on the dark haired boy's cheeks and he prayed to his Great Lady that no one above happened to look down at that moment. "I'll see you around Harry." The blonde whispered in his ear before straightening up and strolling away as though he owned the entire Quidditch pitch.

8th October 1990: Night

Silence, darkness and complete stillness was totally ruined with the soft padding of feet, a silver glow edging its away around a corner leading into the corridor and a small figure coming around that same corridor seconds later. Wand and Marauder's Map in hand, Harry carefully hurried his way towards his destination, thankful that tonight was turning out to be uneventful.

Just over a month into the new school year at Hogwarts and Harry had broken the students' curfew more times in the past four weeks than he ever had the previous year. He had a good justification though, he honestly did! He wasn't just sneaking out of his bed in the middle of the night to cause trouble, he had a real reason. Night was the only time he could get the time alone with the new friends he had made and considering who these new friends were, it had to be alone time otherwise people would probably start talking.

Harry glanced down at the map in his hand and noticed immediately that the name Argus Filch was in the next corridor from him. His eyes widened marginally in apprehension. With a hasty "nox" the silver light at the end of his wand extinguished itself and he ducked behind a suit of armour, prepared for a long wait for the man to pass. However, through the darkness he could still see the Marauder's Map and, as luck would have it, a couple of other people, whose names he didn't recognise, turned into the corridor the caretaker was still in, effectively distracting his attention. He took advantage of the distraction and got to his feet again before dashing off back down the corridor he had just come down, deciding to take another route outside.

Ten minutes later and the lone boy was outside, dashing across the Quidditch pitch with the intent of reaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He wasn't going to go inside, he never did, he was just going to wait on the outskirts. At the pace he was running, it was a mere few minutes before Harry had reached his destination. He slowed to a stop and allowed himself a few seconds to calm his panting breath. Once his breathing was back to normal, he lay on his side and tried to peer into the undergrowth which covered the ground of the forest.

"Hello? Isss anyone here tonight?" He hissed gently, easily slipping into Parseltongue.

"We were beginning to thhhink you weren't coming thisss night." An answering hiss was Harry's answer as three small snakes came slithering out from the undergrowth.

"I'm sssorry, I fell asssleep after I'd finissshed my asssssignmentsss for tomorrow." The boy apologised as he sat up straight again, looking down at the three thin, delicate snakes. His eyes fell onto a pale yellow one who hung behind the other two and he smiled at it. "I don't believe I've ever ssseen you before." He said kindly, getting into a kneel and angling his head closer to the little yellow snake.

"He sssharesss my mothhher." The green one of the trio told him easily. "He isss two sssummersss younger than me."

"It'sss very niccce to meet you." Harry said to the yellow snake after listening to the green one's story.

"As it isss you. I never knew your kind could ssspeak." The young snake hissed softly, almost shyly.

"Mossst like you don't. Not very many of my kind can." The boy explained as he straightened up again and reached into the pocket of the robe he was wearing in order to keep warm. "I managed to sssneak some more sssugar cubes today." He smiled as he pulled three lumps of sugar out from his robe. Gently, he lay them on the grass and the three snakes immediately went for them, their little tongues flicking out at the white sweet.

"Sssuch a lovely boy." The third snake, which was white with light brown splodges over it, complimented as it took a break from licking the sugar. "And ssso courageousss; approaching usss that firssst time without so much as a fear."

Harry blushed at that compliment and looked away slightly awkwardly. "Yesss, well, that wasss before I realisssed what kind of sssnakesss you actually are. If I had known, I would have been a bit more wary."

"It isss jussst asss well we were too ssstunned to hear you ssspeak sssenssse then or elssse you may not be here to provide usss with thisss delightful sssugah." The green snake joined the conversation then.

"It'sss pronounccced sssugar." Harry corrected the snake.

"I prefer my name for it." The little snake dismissed the correction, returning to the sugar.

"Yesss, I thought you might." Harry said with a light grin of amusement as he lay down onto his back and settled to watch his little friends enjoy their treat.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

16th November 1990: Afternoon

"Woah, that was a huge yawn." George noted to Harry as the dark haired boy's jaw relaxed after, what had been accurately described as, a huge yawn.

Harry and the two Weasley brothers were wandering down one of the many corridors of Hogwarts on their way to their first lesson of the afternoon which just happened to be Defense Against the Dark Arts. The teacher from the year before, Professor Belsey, was still the teacher though it was already rumoured that this would be her last year before she retired. Harry thought that was a huge shame. Despite the fact the elderly woman was dead boring and had a grandmothery voice which could easily send you into a peaceful sleep, she was a lovely woman who was extraordinarily kind. She was Harry's favourite teacher, after his father of course.

"You've looked dead on your feet all day come to think of it." Fred mused, carrying on from his brother. "Did you not sleep well last night?"

Truth of the matter was that Harry had spent the majority of the night outside talking to snakes again but he obviously wasn't going to tell them that. "No, I didn't. Couldn't get comfortable and then when I finally did manage to drift off I kept waking up."

"You didn't each much breakfast." George remembered.

"Or lunch." Fred added.

"Sure you're not coming down with something mate?"

It wouldn't be the least surprising if Harry did come down with something as he'd been spending so much time outside at night in the middle of British Autumn. He felt perfectly healthy though. The reason why he hadn't eaten much for breakfast was because he wasn't a breakfast person. He never felt hungry first thing in the morning; hunger usually set in at around eleven o'clock in the morning. Today, the hunger hadn't even set in then so he hadn't eaten much for his lunch. That bit was unexplainable; he didn't know why he wasn't hungry at that point.

"I don't think I am." Harry assured them both as they turned a corner, entering the corridor that the DADA classroom was located. "I'm just not particularly hungry today. No doubt I'll make up for it at dinner though."

"Well, gotta admit, you don't look peaky or anything." Fred admitted, leaning closer to his friend and peering at Harry's face intently.

"We'll hold you to that promise to eat a big dinner just in case though." George grinned easily, the door to the DADA classroom drawing ever closer.

"I didn't exactly promise to eat a big dinner." Harry corrected him playfully, now only a few paces away from the classroom door.

One of the twins made a reply but Harry was barely able to hear it, let alone identify which twin it was who spoke. As he covered those last few paces and walked through the threshold into the classroom, sound and sight and sensation vanished for him abruptly and he found himself in a void of black nothingness.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

He looked around himself quickly, turning when He caught sight of something in the corner of His eye. It was a figure in dark crimson robes and, with their back to Him, it was hard to tell whether it was a man or a woman as even the back of the head was covered by what looked like some kind of turban. He was just about to step forward and try and talk to the person when a voice suddenly came, sounding as if it was being spoken from everywhere, all around Him, all at the same time.

"This is a great honour you have been granted."

"Yes my Lord, I know it is."

"Then why is it you continue to fail to show your gratitude?"

"I apologise my Lord, but supporting you, both physically and mentally, is exhausting and I'm not yet used to it..."

"I have no desire to listen to your pathetic excuses."

"I'm sorry my Lord."

"Tell me you have at least secured your position?"

"The process is in motion my Lord; my application has been submitted."

"Excellent. The child will not know what has hit him."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Just as always with his "things", Harry's surroundings returned to him in an abrupt rush. Although everything remained dark as his eyes were closed, the sounds of frantic calls became known to him. He also quickly realised that he wasn't standing up straight, instead being held up by the arms of someone who was standing behind him. His head swam uncomfortably but he managed to hear some of what was being said around him:

"Someone go and alert Madam Pomfrey!"

"What happened to him?"

"We don't know, he just suddenly passed out!"

"Mr Malfoy, please step aside so I can levitate him to the Infirmary."

"No, I'm not letting him go!"

"Mr Malfoy, unless you're strong enough to carry him all the way to the Infirmary from here then I suggest you step aside."

Each voice blended together making it almost impossible for Harry to recognise anyone's voice properly. He consciousness began to slip little by little and the last thing he was properly aware of was the sensation of being lifted up off of the ground, his feet totally leaving the floor and the arms leaving him as well. After that, everything continued to get increasingly lucid before, eventually, everything slipped away completely.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

The moment Harry had properly woken, everything that had happened instantly returned to the front of his memory and he groaned quietly, curling into a tight ball and pulling the thin sheet of the Infirmary bed he was in firmly over his head. That was exactly what he hadn't wanted; to have one of his "things" in front of everyone and not be able to disguise it. Now, practically every student in Second Year had seen him faint for apparently no reason which was beyond embarrassing.

Still curled up into a ball, Harry considered what he had seen this time, or, to put it more accurately, what he had heard since there hadn't been all that much to look at. One of the voices he had heard, he definitely recognised; it had sounded a lot like Voldemort only more raspy than the last time he had heard the man speak. The second voice was a complete mystery though, a mystery which was kept company by the question of what this "thing" had meant, because it had definitely been one of his "things", no doubt about it. Could Voldemort possibly be back? Surely that wasn't possible. Both Lucius and Peter Pettigrew had seen the evil man die...But was it possible? And if it was, what did it mean for him?

Harry found that the air underneath the sheets was getting rather stale and it was getting hard to breathe in properly. So, somewhat reluctantly, he pushed the sheets away from himself until they were bunched at his waist, leaving the top half of his body free. He noticed that, besides him, the fuzzy-looking Infirmary, (he didn't have his glasses on) was empty, which was rather relieving; meant that he didn't have to deal with anyone yet. Unfortunately, no sooner had he thought that thought, the doors to the room opened and Madam Pomfrey came bustling in, heading straight for him.

"Back with us then Mr Snape?" The woman said briskly as she approached.

"Yes ma'am." Harry said quietly, desperately trying to quickly think of a plausible excuse for having fainted like that.

"Sit up then and let me take a look at you so we can figure out why you felt the need to scare half the school to death." Harry obediently shuffled into a sitting position and the Mediwitch wasted no time in looking him over with her eyes and her wand. "Honestly, the people in this school; you'd think no one had ever seen a person faint before. Cries that you'd been hexed somehow, claims that you were dying; it was astounding, it really was. So much fuss for nothing. And don't even get me started on Mr Malfoy and your father." The woman tutted as she took the blushing boy's wrist and felt his pulse. After a few seconds of stillness, she replaced his hand where it was before giving him a stern look. "Well I can find nothing wrong with you. How have you been sleeping lately?"

"I, uh, haven't been sleeping too well for the past couple of nights or so." Harry revealed meekly, knowing that wasn't a completely believable reason.

"A few sleepless nights do not account for collapsing in the middle of the day Mr Snape." The woman predictably pointed out.

"I didn't eat any breakfast either and not that much lunch; just half a sandwich and a cup of tea." He added, hoping that was going to clinch it.

"Well no wonder you fainted then if you've eaten so little today." Madam Pomfrey said, her tone exasperated. "And why have you decided that eating barely anything today was a good idea?"

Harry shrugged a little and kept his eyes down. "Just wasn't particularly hungry."

"That is a very poor excuse Mr Snape." The woman sighed. "But as I can find nothing wrong with your health then it will have to do. Now, I am going to get you something to eat and you are going to eat all of it. You won't be going to anymore classes today but you will attend dinner in the Great Hall where you will eat a proper dinner or else I will personally fill your plate and watch you eat every last scrap on it. Do I make myself clear?" She didn't even wait for a reply before she turned and walked briskly out of the Infirmary doors, no doubt off to get Harry some food.

"Crystal." The dark haired boy murmured as he kept his eyes down on his lap, only aware that the Mediwitch had left when the soft sound of doors closing reached him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry sighed lightly as he gave a quick tap on the door to the Potions classroom and then shuffled on his feet awkwardly as he waited for the deep voice to come, inviting him to enter. His father had no doubt been informed of the reason for his fainting and that was also the most likely reason why the man had sent him a note at dinner asking that he come down to his rooms afterwards. Strangely, Snape hadn't been at dinner, hence the note instead of being ordered face to face, and Harry couldn't help but wonder if there was maybe something else wrong.

When the usual reply didn't come after a few seconds, Harry pushed the door open anyway and peered into the classroom. It was empty. Frowning slightly, the dark haired boy moved into the room, closing the door behind him. He made his way down the middle of the room, along the path created by the aisles of desks and chairs, making his way to the door into his father's personal rooms. Upon reaching it, he repeated the same process as before; knocking and then waiting for an invite to enter.

"Come in Haryon." Snape's voice came from the other side of the door seconds later.

Harry took in a deep, cleansing breath before he pushed the door open and entered the room behind. He was greeted with both the sight of his father sitting in an arm-chair by the fire-place and of his godfather lounging on the three-seat sofa. Seeing both the men present, Harry understandably jumped to conclusions: "Has something happened?"

"Don't worry, everything's fine. Well, apart from your little performance outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom that is." Lucius told his godson easily, his tone teasing more than anything.

"How comes you're here then?" Harry inquired curiously as he moved further into the room.

"Merely a social visit. It was just as well that I chose to visit today really; someone had to be here to make sure your father didn't go rushing to your side un-necessarily." The blonde said with a slight smirk in the dark haired man's direction.

"That's enough Lucius." Severus said to his friend in a warning tone. Lucius merely quirked an eyebrow but said nothing else. "Now Haryon," the man began, turning his attention to his son. "What's this Madam Pomfrey tells me about you having trouble sleeping and skipping meals?"

"I haven't been skipping meals!" Harry insisted quickly. "I just haven't that hungry today."

"And the trouble sleeping?" Snape inquired. Harry simply looked off at a corner of the room and gave a small shrug of his shoulders. His father sighed gently and looked down at his son with a sad gaze. "Haryon, you know you can tell me anything." Ha! Yeah right! "Is there something bothering you?"

"No, nothing Father." The boy assured truthfully, lifting his gaze. "I know now to eat even if I don't feel like it, just to make sure and I'm sure my sleeping pattern with return to normal soon."

The two men studied Harry carefully for a few, long minutes and the boy tried desperately to not shift under their steady gazes. Eventually, after what felt like a horribly long time, Severus turned from his son and headed over to one of the high-up shelves which held several bottles of various different potions. Lucius also looked away at that point, opting to study his finger-nails instead of his godson. Silence took over then, broken only by the crackling of the open fire and the clinking of bottles hitting other bottles. Then, Snape returned to stand in front of the dark haired boy, holding a single vial between his long, thin fingers.

"Take this tonight, just before you go to sleep." He instructed in a monotone.

"What is it?" Harry asked curiously, holding the glass tube up and peering at the liquid inside.

"Dreamless Sleep." Severus answered causing Harry to look up at him in surprise; he usually only got that when he was ill. "Only for tonight however, just to get you back into a sleeping pattern again." He explained, understanding the look he had just received. The dark haired boy nodded in acknowledgement and acceptance as he put the vial away into the pocket of his school robes. "Now I don't doubt that you have assignments due in for tomorrow which you have not yet started." His tone lightened ever so slightly when he said that, obviously half teasing and slightly amused.

"Erm, yeah." Harry admitted with a small blush. He stepped up to his father and stood up on tip-toes to press his usual parting kiss to the man's cheek. "Goodnight Father." He bid as he retreated from the kiss and turned to leave the room. "Goodnight to you as well Uncle Lucius."

"Good night Haryon, sleep well." The blonde said after him just as Harry opened the door and left the room, closing it behind himself but not before he heard him speak to his father this time: "There's something he's not telling you."

"I know." Was all the reply the boy heard before he shut the door and all noise from inside the room ceased.

23rd February 1991: Midday

Harry never swore much, it was something he was quite proud of. True, he sometimes said the odd "bloody Hell" but that was his usual limit and compared to some of the things his Year mates and the older House mates said, it was hardly anything. However, at that very moment, as he ran through the corridors of Hogwarts on his way down to the dungeons, there was only one word which echoed through his mind constantly:

Shit.

He was an idiot. He was a grade O, complete and utter idiot. He was an idiot who had too much faith in the good will of all creatures even conniving little buggers like snakes. After all, just because a small handful of the snakes which were in residence inside the Forbidden Forest were nice and friendly, it didn't mean that they all were as he had just found out the hard way. Because, after all these months of talking to deadly poisonous snakes without incident, it had finally happened; he had finally been bitten.

The bite wasn't even justified in his opinion! He'd done absolutely nothing wrong! He had just stopped by the edge of the Forbidden Forest for a Saturday afternoon chat with his snakey friends. Instead of his friends however, what he got was a bloody impolite snake who would rather have bitten him then said a polite, "I'd rather not talk to you." Hell, even an impolite, "get the Hell away from me pinky!" would've been preferable over the two neat puncture wounds which decorated his hand.

And another reason why he was an idiot; he just had to choose the most poisonous snakes in the Forbidden Forest hadn't he? After that first night, he'd got a book out of the school library to look up the species of snake he had made friends with. It was called an Arsenic Fang and, as the name suggests, its venom was as deadly to humans as arsenic. Once in the blood stream, there were only two ways to get it out: a very complicated cleansing charm which was usually specially learnth by people who worked with snakes, (ie, no one around there) or something which Harry knew for a fact was in his father's personal potions ingredients storage cupboard.

Now, bearing in mind that the poor, poisoned Gryffindor was not only panicking that he only had another fifty-five minutes or so left to live but also had a complex about not worrying anyone or causing a fuss no matter what, it's not too surprising that instead of doing the smart thing and going to Madam Pomfrey or Severus for help, he was going to raid his father's storage cupboard. How was he going to do it without his father noticing him? He wasn't completely sure; he just figured he'd wing it and see what happened.

Harry held his wounded hand to his chest protectively, hiding it with his healthy hand so not to draw even more attention to himself. The two neat puncture wounds were more than a little obvious after all; small amounts of the creamy blue poison of the snake oozed out of the two holes every so often and the whole hand was getting rather red and swollen. It would be fine though. He just needed to avoid coming across everyone on his way to and from the dungeons. And he also needed for his dorm room to be empty of his dorm mates too...That wasn't asking too much right?

It obviously was, because a mere second or two later, once Harry had stumbled around a corner awkwardly, he went crashing straight into Fred and George who were walking around the corner as well. "Woah, watch where ya going mate." Fred laughed as he caught Harry before he could fall back.

"Yeah, where's the fire?" George joked with a playful grin but it faded the instant Harry lifted his head properly, revealing his paled face and his slightly panicked eyes. "Harry? Is something wrong?" He asked quickly, stepping to the smaller boy's side.

"Bloody Hell Harry, what happened to your hand?" Fred gasped as he caught sight of the bite on Harry's hand which was stained a sickly purple, where the poison had mixed with his blood, and was seriously swollen now. Harry tried to quickly hide his hand but Fred was quicker; he reached forward and grabbed his wrist, giving a small tug forward so he could have a better look.

"Something bit you?" George asked when he saw the injury as well.

"There's no time to explain now, I don't have much time." Harry said quickly, pulling away and going to hurry down the corridor again.

"But the Infirmary is that way." Fred told him, pointing back in the direction Harry had just come in.

"I'm not going to the Infirmary, I'm going to the dungeons." The poisoned boy called back to them.

"To tell your dad?" George asked as he and his brother chased after their friend.

"No, to nick something from his personal storage room." Harry told them as they continued their fast pace.

"You're not telling him!" Fred cried.

"There's no need to worry him; I know how to handle this. Why don't you two go back to the common room?" The dark haired boy suggested. "There's no reason for you to get dragged down with me if I get caught."

"No way, we're helping." George insisted. "There's gotta be something we can do to help you. Keep watch or something; oh! We could create a distraction!"

Harry sighed reluctantly, not wanting to burden his friends with this problem. Though they had been the ones to offer and since they already knew there really was no reason to not accept the help. "All right then." He conceded as they officially entered the dungeons. "If you could just keep watch outside for me, I won't take more than a few seconds; I know exactly what I'm looking for and where it's kept."

"Right, we can do that." George said and, although he looked less than happy, Fred said nothing in protest.

The three boys stopped talking then and made the rest of the journey in silence. Before too long, they had reached the corridor which contained the storage room. Harry skidded to a stop before his two friends and tried to pull on the handle. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. He began to fish around in his robes for his wand but with a rapidly numbing hand it wasn't easily. Eventually, Fred stepped forward to help, casting a quick Alohomora for him. That did the trick and allowed Harry to pull the door open without any more fuss, revealing the copious number of potion ingredients it held.

"Okay, go on, hurry up." Fred whispered, ushering Harry in even as the dark haired boy hurried past him.

Harry headed straight over to the left, back-hand corner of the storeroom. He dropped onto his knees, ignoring the small pang of pain which throbbed through his knees with the impact. He wasted no time in pulling out the rack of potion-filled vials which were in front so he could get to what was at the back. It was a little awkward as he could only use one hand and the rack and vials were deceptively heavy but he was losing the feeling in his injured hand and it wouldn't have made anything any easier; probably only make it harder.

With the rack out of the way, Harry tipped his body down so he could peer into the space underneath the first shelf. There, at the very back, pressed up against the wall, was the glinting, flickering blue light he had been looking for. He adjusted his position quickly so that he could reach out with his good hand and not have to support himself with his bad hand and then stretched as far as he could to try and grab the object that he needed.

"How's it going?" George's voice reached him suddenly.

"Almost there." Harry replied, his finger-tips brushing against smooth, cool glass. That small success spurred him on and he continued to reach as far as possible.

Eventually, he was in the ideal position to jerk the jar forward, tipping it onto its side and then rolling it out to him. It gently bumped into his thigh, rebounded a little bit before coming to a complete stop. Inside, a strange blue flame which was in the jar continued to flicker a little but remained burning full and brightly. Harry wasted no time in grabbing the jar and scrambling back onto his feet, stuffing it into his robes as he did so, and then hurried out of the room, shutting and the door behind him. He nodded to the two Weasley twins as he passed them and, after Fred waved his wand to the door to lock it again, they wordlessly followed on behind him as their friend headed back in the direction they had come from.

The three boys half walked/half jogged out of the dungeons, all the way back to Gryffindor Tower in silence. It was Fred who spoke the password to the Fat Lady and allowed Harry and George to go in first. They dashed through the common room without pausing and, luckily, no one seemed to take any notice of the fact that the twins looked rather flustered while Harry looked as if he was about to pass out at any moment.

When they reached the stairs, Fred pulled ahead to lead, Harry followed on behind him and George followed on behind them both. They passed one of their dorm mates on the way but all three ignored him. They reached the door to their room first, Fred opening it for Harry and his brother. When George entered, he took the door from his brother and turned back to face outside, just in time to see their dorm mate approach, obviously intending to enter the room as well.

"Sorry, we need the room." George said hastily as he abruptly shut the door right in their dorm mate's face. He pulled his wand out and locked the door with several charms as Harry and Fred quickly settled on the floor in the middle of the room.

Fred unscrewed the lid of the jar for Harry, as the dark haired boy's injured hand was now completely useless, before setting it down on the floor. Harry quickly turned the lid of the jar upside-down with his good hand before taking up the jar, also in his good hand, and ever so carefully tipping it until the flickering blue flame tumbled out onto the lid where it settled and continued to burn on happily.

"Why don't you just use your staff to heal yourself?" Fred inquired as his friend began to role up the sleeve of his robe on the arm which had the injured hand attached. "Didn't you once mention something about being able to cure any poison with it?"

"I can only help other people; a priest or priestess isn't able to perform any sort of magic on themselves, it just doesn't work. It's to help with the Vow of Self-Sacrifice." Harry told them as he carefully held his wounded hand over the blue flame, lifting it up and down minutely until it was in the perfect position.

"What's that?" George asked curiously.

"One of the vows that Havanist Priests and Priestesses have to take and live by. If ever the time came where there was a choice between saving yourself and saving the life of another, a true priest or priestess would save the other. We're only mortal however and we all suffer from a slight fear of death, especially when it's staring us right in the face. So, we're not able to cast our magic on ourselves to make that scenario I just described easier if it were to ever happen." The dark haired boy explained, making sure to keep his eyes firmly fixed on his wound.

"That's awful though! To ask you to give up your own life just like that. To not even give you a real choice!" Fred cried, aghast at the idea, his expression mirrored by his twin.

Harry smiled slightly upon hearing that; a soft, sort of understanding smile that suggested his understood perfectly how his friend could think that but he didn't agree with the view in the least. "There are many forms of love; but surely the greatest is that of someone who gives their life so that another may live on." Bright green eyes glanced up at the two red-heads. "Said to be the words of the Elder Morcedai himself when he was still on Earth as the first Havanist Priest. I would gladly give my life if it meant that another could survive, and that is my choice."

An awkward silence passed over them then as neither of the Weasley boys knew what to say to that and Harry returned to carefully watching his wound, seeing that the ink-blue, creamy poison was starting to gather to the surface. After a while, the silence was comically broken by George when his stomach rumbled rather loudly. The two other boys in the room looked up at him before they all started to laugh.

"That's one way to break the tension." Fred chuckled, plonking himself down on the floor next to Harry. He leaned down and looked curiously at the blue fire which was burning in the middle of the plate quite happily. "So what exactly is that?"

"It's a magical type of flame captured from the fire-breathing Salamando bats of the forests of South-West Wales." Harry answered as he watched a drop of poison fall from the wound and onto the plate. "George, could you grab me a tissue or something?"

"Fire-breathing Salamando bats?" Fred echoed in disbelief as his brother rolled off where he was sitting on his bed and headed over to them to offer Harry his own handkerchief.

"You're making that up." George accused as he sat down next to his brother and in front of Harry on the floor so he could see what was going on.

"No I'm not, my father told me all about them. There's only fifty left and they're all in South-West Wales. They've been driven to the brink of extinction because their tongues are handy for making potions." The dark haired boy explained.

"Shouldn't think a bat's tongue would do much; has to be about the size of half a peanut." Fred mused.

"Well, apparently they were useful, though no one living would know that for sure; they're been off-limits since the mid-eighteenth century. Their breath, however, is legal as long as no harm comes to the bat when it's being collected. The care and delicacy the process required to capture the flame means that it's beyond expensive though and very rare."

"Isn't your dad gonna mind that you nicked a jar then?" George inquired.

"He'd have only used one on me anyway. It's just that this way he doesn't have to worry about me." Harry rationalised, wiping away some more of the poison and cringing a little at the sight of the handkerchief being ruined. "I don't think you'll be able to get this clean again George."

"Doesn't matter; I've got loads of 'em, ain't gonna miss one." The boy assured, waving off the apology. "So how are they used for potion-making?"

"They're sometimes used instead or regular fire, if a potion specifically advises you use it or, if you're an expert like my father, you can risk trying it out on other potions to get the to developed faster than normal. Like I said, it's really expensive though so father usually only uses it if he has to." The dark haired boy answered as he brought his hand up to his face to inspect it. The cloth in his hand was totally soaked in the disgusting blue poison and it appeared that there was still some more to come out.

"Do you want another hankie?" George offered, already getting up to fetch one.

"How much of that stuff is there still to come out?" Fred asked with a wrinkle of his nose and he peered down at the two puncture wounds as Harry held his hand back over the flame.

"Not sure. I hope it doesn't take too much longer to get it all out though; this fire won't last much more than an hour now it's been exposed to so much carbon dioxide."

"Harry? Don't you think it would just be easier to tell someone and have an adult deal with it?" Fred suggested carefully.

"Yeah, I agree with Fred." George said as he came back with a second handkerchief and handed it to Harry. "We know you don't want to worry your dad or anything..."

"...But don't you think he should know about this?"

"Even if you were right which, for the record, I don't think you are, it's too late to tell him now. We'd all get our heads chewed off for stealing from his store-room." Harry pointed out before looking up at his two friends. "I'm sorry I had to worry you guys too, if I could've helped it I would've tried to deal with it all myself."

Fred and George sighed in unison and each dragged their fingers through their hair. "There's no need to apologise for that mate." George reassured, sounding a little tired.

"We hardly gave you a choice in accepting it after all." Fred said with a light grin.

"And we didn't mean to nag about telling your dad..."

"...We just thought it might be for the best."

Harry gave them both a small smile. "I'm glad you're both here to help me; it means a lot. But really, I think it's for the best that my father doesn't know about this little incident."

"If that's what you think is the right thing..." George began.

"...You know your dad better than us after all." Fred finished.

"Thanks guys." Harry said with a brighter smile before looking back down at his hand. "And look, there's not much point in telling him now, the poison's barely coming out anymore. Merlin, who would've thought such little snake could contain this much poison?"

"Harry?" Fred asked carefully, causing the dark haired to look back up. "How exactly did you manage to get bitten?"

...Damn, he should've seen that question popping up at some point. How was he supposed to answer that without telling them about his conversations with the snakes? He couldn't tell them he was a Parselmouth if only for the fact it had been so long since he knew himself. They'd want to know why he didn't tell them sooner, they'd want to know why he didn't trust them to not freak out and to keep the secret. They'd be offended, they'd hate him; he couldn't tell them.

"I was on my way to Hagrid's to find out whether he was able to find the plants my father needs for a certain potion in the Forbidden Forest, like I agreed I would earlier after our Potions lesson, and I tripped over my shoe-lace by the edge of the forest. The snake must've been resting in the high grass I landed in because after I'd fallen the next thing I knew I could feel the sting of it biting me." Harry explained, totally making up the entire thing as he was going along. At least it was a plausible explanation; Harry relaying messages for his father wasn't an unheard of occurrence.

"What were you doing that close to the edge of the Forbidden Forest?" George asked, sounding more concerned than accusing or suspicious.

For a few, horrible seconds, Harry could think of now reason for being that close to the edge of the forest. However, when the gentle pattering of rain on the windows in the dorm room occurred to him, he found his explanation. "It was raining, I was trying to stay under the cover of the trees as much as possible without having to actually go into the forest." The two red haired boys gave him an odd look. "Hey, it seemed like a good idea!"

"A good idea that got you bitten by a stupidly poisonous snake." Fred pointed out.

"I didn't know that was going to happen at the time, did I?" Harry muttered as he swiped away the two small drops of poison which had risen to the surface of his wound.

"That's true." George agreed with a nod.

"It was still a really stupid idea." Fred insisted.

"That's true." George agreed again with a nod.

Fred gave his brother a slightly annoyed, slightly amused, look. "Is it really necessary for you to keep saying that?"

The other ginger haired boy shrugged lightly. "Just adding my two Sickles."

"Yeah, well, don't."

"Why not?"

"Because neither of us care about your two Sickles."

"Hey, that's not nice!"

The two brothers continued that train of bickering for quite some time after that and Harry simply amused himself with watching them and cleaning the last bit of poison out of his bite. After all, if the twins were arguing with each other, they weren't asking him awkward questions.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

5th June 1991: Morning

Harry gave a contented sigh as he hugged his pillow to him, snuggling down into the comfortable warmth of his bed. Once again, he was in the wonderful space between being awake and being asleep and it was lovely. Despite the warmth of the British summer, he wasn't over-heated in the least and would be quite happy to laze around in his semi-conscious state for several more hours to come.

"Good morning sleeping beauty!"

The loud greeting was accompanied by the banging of his bedroom door. All the noise woke Harry up fully but he refused to open his eyes. He simply pulled his sheets over his head, curling into a tighter ball so that more of his could be more easily covered. The sound of approaching footsteps did reach him underneath the covers but he stubbornly refused to acknowledge them in favour of trying his best to go back to sleep.

"C'mon!" The voice of the intruder insisted cheerfully, shaking Harry through the sheets. "Rise and shine and congratulate me face to face."

"Congratulate you for what?" Harry asked, finally giving up and poking his head over the top of his sheet and cracking an eye open to look at the fuzzy figure of Draco which hovered beside him.

"For my birthday and for the fact that today, I am officially a teenager." Draco announced proudly.

"Congratulations." Harry grunted, not sounding in the least like he meant it. "Does being thirteen mean that you can walk into other people's houses with no intent other than to wake them up rudely?"

"I'm not here just for that; that was just a delightful bonus. I'm here with Father to pick you and Sev up for our day out since neither of you will be attending my birthday party tonight." Draco revealed, his tone implying that the fact he wasn't going to his birthday party meant that it was his own fault for being woken up at that moment. He was obviously failing to recognise the fact that Harry was actually doing him a favour by staying clear since the blonde's Slytherin, (aka, snotty pureblood) friends were all going to be in attendance.

"But why are you here so early?"

"It's nine thirty; that's not that early."

"It is for a Saturday morning." Harry mumbled into his pillow as he rolled onto his stomach lazily and closed his eyes again.

"You're right, how very rude of me. You don't have to get up yet, I'll just join you." Draco smirked as he stood up and bent over to take off his shoes.

"You'll wrinkle your robes." The drowsy warning came out slightly muffled.

"I'm sure Father wouldn't mind helping me out with a quick smoothing charm if the situation calls for it." The blonde answered easily as he toed off his last shoe and then lifted up the sides of the sheets which covered the other boy. He sat on the edge of the bed and then brought his legs up so he could snuggle down into a laying position. Once he was settled, he instantly threw an arm over Harry and pulled himself a little closer to him. "There; happy?"

"Ecstatic." Harry mumbled as he turned onto his side and shifted a little closer to Draco in order to be able to properly cuddle with him.

That seemed to solve all the problems and the two boys fell into a restful silence. It unfortunately only lasted a few moments though before Draco decided he didn't want to let his friend sleep after all. "Harry?"

"Hmm?" Harry hummed in reply.

"What do you want for your birthday?"

"To go to sleep."

Draco frowned and gave Harry's shoulder a light shove. "I'm being serious!" He insisted.

"So am I." Harry replied though a small smile of amusement quirked his lips.

"C'mon Harry, I need to know what to get you."

"You've never bothered to ask before." The dark haired boy pointed out, still not opening his eyes.

"Well I am this time."

"Why this time? And don't you dare start going on about how this one is special because I'll be an official teenager."

"I want this present to be special because...Well, just because." Draco murmured, not taking his gaze off of Harry's eyelids.

"That's not a proper reason." Harry yawned, turning his head into the pillow so he didn't exhale into the blonde's face.

"Do I really need a proper reason? I love you, I just want to get you something you want." The Slytherin admitted quietly, his eyes finally falling from the pale face opposite him.

"If you loved me you'd let me go to sleep."

"Harry! C'mon, I mean it, I do love you."

"I know you do and I love you too." Harry sighed, recognising the fact that Draco was being serious and wasn't going to accept a joke as a reply.

"Yeah, but not in the same way. Just you wait though, one day it will be in the same way, I'll make sure of it." The blonde whispered before pecking a kiss on the dark haired boy's cheek and rolling out of bed, intending to prepare an outfit for his best friend to wear for their outing.

If Harry had been a little more alert and awake, he may have actually reacted to that last statement from the blonde Slytherin and recognised it for what it really meant.

17th July 1991: Evening

It was one of those wonderful summer evenings that were relaxing and lazy. It was a lovely temperature and, for once, there weren't many bugs around either, at least not so many as to cause a nuisance. Because of this, Harry and his father were quite happy to enjoy the night outside, sitting in the back garden of their cottage home. The faint glow of a single, large candle was all that aided Severus in his reading and Harry in doing some of his summer homework. Each sat in a separate wooden chair, both of which were heavily padded to prevent various body parts going numb or stiff. Yes, it was all very peaceful and Harry, despite the fact he was doing homework, was rather enjoying himself.

Much to Harry's surprise and never ending relief, Severus still hadn't discovered the missing blue flame from his personal stores. True, the man didn't use the rare fire much but still, Harry had thought it would have been discovered by the end of that Year. Nothing had been said though and, as far as he knew, the missing flame had yet to be missed. Either that or he wasn't on the list of suspects for stealing it which made sense; he'd built a good image for himself and would be the last person Severus would ever expect to take without asking.

After another several minutes of silent peace, the man reading and the boy writing, Harry reached the bottom of his piece of parchment. Not having any more with him but knowing there was still plenty of it in his room, he shifted the book he was resting his work on off of his lap and went to put it all on the ground beside his chair. However, as he leaned forward, he didn't realise that he was sitting on the ends of his hair and the strands were yanked uncomfortably, sending sharp stabs of pain shooting through his scalp at each of the roots.

"Ah!" He yelped and immediately sat back up straight to alleviate the pressure, his hands flying up to cradle his head.

"Problem?" His father asked in a monotone, his eyes flickering up from his book for an instant.

"No, it's nothing. I just didn't realise I was sitting on my hair." Harry assured him, one hand falling back to his lap while the other one continued to soothe his abused follicles.

"I have said before that you should tie it back more often." Severus reminded him with a small smirk or amusement.

"Tying it back doesn't work anymore, I still sit on the ends more often than not." The long, dark haired boy grumbled.

"Maybe you should try braiding it then, Lucius has always been of the opinion that doing so shortens the length more than simply tying it back."

"Uncle Lucius braids his hair?" Harry grinned, imagining a rather amusing mental image of his godfather.

"He did, occasionally, when his hair was longer."

"He used to have it longer?"

"For a while just after he had married Narcissa he charmed it to roughly the same length as yours is now because she asked him to." Severus paused before giving a low chuckle. "He kept it for all of a month before his mother badgered him into getting rid of it again; said it made him and Narcissa look exactly the same." Harry laughed lightly at that and his father marked the page of the book he was reading before setting it down next to his chair. "Come here and I'll do it for you now." He offered, knowing how likely it was that a thirteen year old boy would know how to tie a braid.

Harry shuffled off of his chair and made the three steps over to where his father sat. Severus pulled out his wand and Accio'd a pillow from inside the house along with a hair brush. When the two objects reached him, he caught them both and then rested the hair brush on his thigh before leaning forward and setting the pillow on the ground between his feet. Harry took he initiative and knelt down on it, his back to the still-seated dark man. Severus shifted forward on his seat so he could more easily reach his son's hair and then, without further ado, he took hold of the brush and began to gently run it through Harry's hair.

A few minutes of silence passed before Harry spoke: "Do you and Uncle Lucius still miss your mothers?"

"Well, I can't speak for your godfather but I certainly still miss your grandmother. It's tragic that she never got to meet you; she would've been so proud." Severus replied as he began to separate his son's hair into three strands.

"I would've been proud of her as well; all the pictures you've shown me of her, she looked like she was a beautiful person, inside and out."

"Yes, she was, as wonderful as Narcissa in many ways, even more wonderful in others. It's a shame I didn't get any more than my dark hair from her really." The dark man sighed lightly, still adjusting Harry's hair.

"But you look so much like her! Especially when you were younger." Harry insisted, wanting to turn and look at his father but knowing if he did so he would disrupt the braiding process.

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment to me or an insult to her." His father joked lightly as he began to twist the hair in his slim, pale hands together. In a matter of seconds, he had the entire length of Harry's hair braided. He then held it together with one hand as he reached out for the side of the house where he knew there were some climbing flowers making their way up the rough, brick wall.

"You put yourself down far too often." Harry told him in a slightly chiding tone as the man plucked a flower and a good chunk of stem from the wall. "You're just like Grandmother was; beautiful on the inside and the outside."

"I don't agree with you in the least but thank you anyway." Severus said lightly, transfiguring the flower and its thin stem into a piece of ribbon to tie off the thin end of his son's new braid. "There you are." He smiled, patting Harry's shoulder as a sign that he could move again. However, instead of moving away as Severus expected, the dark haired boy turned around and looped his arms around his neck loosely.

"Why do you hate yourself so much?" Harry whispered sadly, his green eyes glittering in the candle light as they stared straight into the black eyes in front of him. His father remained stubbornly silent and Harry could just visualise the protective walls being built up around the man. "You're such a wonderful person and just don't see it." He continued, bringing a hand up to cup the sallow cheek and play with the ends of a few strands of lank hair. "I don't understand how you can think so little of yourself."

"I have done a lot that you don't know about Haryon; things that you will never find out and things that I am ashamed of." Severus answered in son in a stony voice, his face hard but neutral.

"But you have also done so much which is good. You make potions for the school's Infirmary without being asked; you're there for any of your Slytherin's if they ever need you; you went against the Dark Lord and saved so many lives by giving information to the Order; you're a wonderful godfather to Draco; you helped Uncle Lucius keep sane after Aunt Narcissa's death. And, most importantly of all, you found me in that alleyway and gave me a home when no one else wanted me." Harry listed gently, keeping his eyes fixed with his father's.

"Only for my own selfish reasons." The man pointed out in a monotone. "I merely wanted someone who would love me unconditionally."

"Now you're just being stubborn." Harry said with a small smile, knowing there had been more to his adoption than that one reason.

"Haryon..." Severus began seriously but was cut off when his son pulled himself closer, moulding himself against his firm chest in a close embrace.

"I don't want to get into an argument with you Father, so let's not say any more hmm? You're clearly not going to change your mind and nothing you say is going to make me change mine so let's stop before one of us says something we'll regret." Harry breathed, resting his head on the man's shoulder comfortably.

Slowly, Severus' dark mood melted away and he sighed gently as he brought his arms around Harry, returning the hug fully. "I wonder just how many thirteen year old boys still enjoy sharing affection with their fathers?" He mused lightly, resting his head against the dark haired boy's gently.

"I don't think it's fair that people expect boys to suddenly stop showing their love for their family when they grow up. Girls get to cuddle and kiss their parents all their lives and boys are expected to stop when they reach a certain age; it's ridiculous really." Harry said with a light frown, staring off into the darkness for lack of anything else to watch.

"It's expected because experience has taught us that that's how things usually go."

"Well I'm going to be different and I don't care what anyone says about it; I'm not ashamed to show that I love you."

"Yes, but you've never been exactly normal have you my dear?" Severus pointed out affectionately.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Harry said with a light smile, earning a small chuckle from the man whose arms he was securely wrapped in.

17th August 1991: Mid-Afternoon

Harry stepped out of the Apothecary in Diagon Alley and breathed in a huge gulp of fresh air in an attempt to rid his lungs of the hot, potiony air which had found its way into his system thanks to the shop behind him. He absolutely despised the shop and had only agreed to go in there with his father's orders under protest. It wasn't as if Severus was simply being lazy in making him go though. The man was currently in the process of making one of those marathon-long-to-brew potions which also needed constant surveillance during the entire process. Harry, unfortunately, could not have even suggested that his godfather do it as the blonde man and his son were still holidaying in the Wizarding section of the Austria, (which was a lot like the Muggle Austria with the exception of the ski-resorts had ever-lasting, perfect snow and, well, the fact there were no Muggles allowed). Harry wasn't in Diagon Alley on his own though, (like his father would ever allow that) he was there with Hagrid.

At least, he had been with Hagrid. They had separated after they had each withdrawn something from Gringotts. For Harry, it was money. For Hagrid, it was...Well, Harry wasn't entirely sure what it was that the half giant had taken from Vault 713. Whatever it was, it was obviously nothing which concerned him or he would've been told. Also, Hagrid seemed to want to keep it a secret from everyone, telling Harry that it was best that Harry didn't mention it to anyone in a somewhat nervous voice. He had picked up on the fact it was something for Dumbledore so he was pretty sure of the fact that it was nothing to be suspicious of.

Glancing up at the sky with a hand held over his eyes, his palm just resting on the top of his glasses, to protect them from the harsh sunlight, Harry tried to determine what the time was as he wasn't wearing a watch nor had his wand with him. He judged from the sun's position that it was quite a bit after mid-day and the time for him to meet up with Hagrid again was probably coming up. That was no hardship though; the visit to the Apothecary had been the last errand he had needed to run that day. Since he was meeting up with his companion for the day by Flourish & Blotts, he thought there was no harm in getting there a little early as the extra time could be spent browsing through the shelves to see if there was anything of interest. Considering the time of year though, he was sceptical that the majority of the stock would consist of anything more than the books which were on the Hogwarts Book List.

Just as he turned to head off in the direction of the bookshop, a short, sharp gasp escaped Harry as a strange sensation ran through him, seeming to emanate from the lightning-bolt scar which marred his forehead, hidden mostly by the sweep of his hair. He froze mid-step and then, guided by some un-identifiable instinct, he swung around, eyes fixing on a very definite spot just ahead of him. It didn't take him long to spot the black cloaked figure which glided through crowds, strangely going un-noticed by everyone else in the area. Harry was very aware of the strange person though and he didn't hesitate nor even spared a thought for Hagrid before he had started off after them, his slow walk quickly becoming a jog and then speeding into full blown run in an attempt to shorten the distance between him and the other.

Frustratingly, after a minute or two of pursuit on Harry's part, it became apparent that no matter how fast Harry ran or how successfully he dodged the other people who were around him, the gap between him and the cloaked figure never closed. In fact, if anything, Harry swore that it was actually getting bigger and the figure was pulling away from him. He wasn't about to give up however. His scar still felt odd, not painful but not in the least comfortable either, and he knew, he just knew, that it had something to do with the person her was chasing after.

The chase was abruptly cut off however when Harry saw exactly where the cloaked figure was heading; straight into Knockturn Alley. Now, Harry was in no way a coward, not in any sense of the word, but he couldn't deny the small niggle of apprehension which was ever present at the back of his mind whenever he considered Knockturn Alley. It wasn't exactly a happy place after all and if there were going to be Death Eaters anywhere it was going to be in Knockturn Alley...Or Slytherin but at least that was something he didn't have to worry about right at that moment.

Harry gradually slowed to a stop just in front of the steps which led down to the dark, dreary place which always radiated a sort of chill even in the middle of summer. From where he stood, it seemed to be deserted but every so often, a moving shadow would catch his gaze and remind him that appearances were often deceptive. For a long few moments he stood there, staring down into the darkness, unsure of what to do. Eventually, curiosity and courage over-ruled caution and common-sense. The dark haired boy took a deep, steadying breath before taking a single step forward. That single step would have become a couple of steps if it wasn't for the fact a slim hand suddenly came to rest on his shoulder, causing him to jump and swing around to face whoever it was.

To is surprise and confusion, he found himself now standing face to face with one Lily Evans turned Potter. She had barely aged from when he had last seen her about five years ago which he had to admit was rather impressive. "Mrs Potter." He greeted her in a polite, neutral tone.

"Hello, Haryon isn't it?" The woman replied with a small smile, his hand still not moving from his shoulder.

"Yes, that's right." Harry confirmed with a small nod. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, erm, no, not particularly, I just thought you looked a bit lost, standing in front of Knockturn Alley like that. Waiting for your father are you?" Lily inquired in a friendly tone which, oddly, held a hint of fluster in it; from the stories his father had told him, Lily Evans had always been a confident, self-assured girl.

"No, I'm here with Hagrid today. He left me to get measured for some new robes and I'm just on my way to meet up with him again." Harry answered her, not exactly lying, just not telling her the entire story.

"You're meeting him in Knockturn Alley?"

"No, outside Flourish & Blotts."

"Oh, in that case, would you mind if I joined you? I was just on my way there myself."

There really was no way he could deny the woman that without appearing to be un-necessarily rude. So, holding back an eye-roll, he gave a very small sigh before turning away from Knockturn Alley to head off in the direction which the book shop was in. "I would be delighted if you'd join me Mrs Potter." He said politely, for once glad that he had been raised by a Malfoy as much as a Snape; he'd learnt how to act civil to those he had no desire to be around.

"So how comes you're out with Hagrid today?" Mrs Potter inquired in a friendly tone as they walked down Diagon Alley side by side.

"My godfather is in Austria with his son and my father is currently in the process of brewing a potion which requires constant surveillance." Harry answered as it occurred to him that his scar had stopped feeling odd several minutes ago.

"Such respect you show your family." The red haired woman complimented him.

"Because they deserve more respect than anyone else in the world." Harry justified easily.

"If only all sons thought like you do. Mine's only just turned eleven and he already acts as if he's seventeen and his own man." She told him with a small chuckle.

"Yes, well, most sons have not had their lives saved by their fathers."

"You're father saved your life?" That obviously surprised the woman for some reason.

"He saved my life before I was his son. He found me abandoned in an alleyway when I was a few hours old. Despite the fact it was in the middle of summer and I was wrapped quite securely in a blanket, it's doubtful I would've lasted the night if he hadn't have found me. And then to have taken me in and loved me as his own...I have never, nor will I ever, met such a wonderful, loving man." Harry explained surely, his tone full of sincerity and awe, directed at his father.

"He found you in an alleyway?" Mrs Potter gasped, her face suddenly rather pale.

"Yes. It was amazing that he took me in really. His first summer out of Hogwarts, eighteen years old, without a job or any real prospects, and he didn't even hesitate to adopt me."

Harry glanced to the woman at his side and was rather taken aback by how pale her face was now and how startled she looked. It was very odd. It couldn't be that she was shocked with the tales of Severus' kindness; after all, she had been the only one to make an effort to be nice to him when they had been at school together. There was definitely something that had shocked Lily Potter though, it was just very hard to figure out what it was.

"Mum!" A woefully familiar voice reached them then and Harry sighed lightly when he realised who was about to join them. Alas, no more than half a minute later, the figure of Johnathan Potter came through the crowds. He was taller than Harry remembered him, obviously, and the boy now wore glasses but other than that he was un-changed. Upon reaching Harry and his mother, the boy glared at him. "What are you doing with my mum?" He demanded with an accusing tone.

"John, don't be so rude." Lily scolded her son lightly.

"It's no worry Mrs Potter." Harry assured her, deciding to be the more mature one here. "I hadn't realised you were here with your son."

"Yes, we're here to get him ready for Hogwarts." The woman told him proudly, her son's face taking on an arrogant expression at that.

"Oh, so you're coming to Hogwarts this year then?" Harry asked politely for the sake of the boy's mother more than anything.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Johnathan demanded with a glare.

Harry shook his head a little. "No reason, I was just making polite conversation but that's obviously beyond your ability." In the distance, over the top of the crowd, he spotted Hagrid was returning to come and meet him. "I have to go now. It was nice to see you again Mrs Potter, good day." He said politely before moving around them and heading towards the half giant up ahead.

"Alrigh' there 'Arry." Hagrid greeted him cheerfully when they reached each other. "Got everythin' yer need?"

"Yep. It's all being delivered."

"Good, good. Best be gettin' ya back to Hogwarts then; sure ya dad wants ya back in time to 'ave some supper." The big man smiled as he moved forward, Harry turning back to face the way he had just come as he did. Hagrid gently ushered him to move as well and together they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.

1st September 1991: Evening

Harry did nothing more than tap the pads of his fingers in applause when Johnathan Potter was officially Sorted into Gryffindor. The little twerp deserved no more effort than that from him and Harry had no reason to be joyful of it either; sharing a House with someone who would no doubt become the bane of his existence wasn't exactly something to celebrate. There was something else though, another reason why Harry was less than enthusiastic about clapping and it had to do with the man who was currently sitting at the front of the Great Hall, right next to his father.

His name was Quirrel, or Professor Quirrel as he'd have to call him, and he was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. From the few times that Harry had been around the man so far, hearing him speak and observing his manner, he, admittedly, seemed pretty harmless. He was shy and rather timid and spoke with a stutter; he really did appear to be completely safe. Except there was something about him...Something which un-nerved Harry greatly but, as was usual in this sort of situation, he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly it was that raised fear in him.

Now not even pretending to pay attention to the Sorting, Harry watched as Professor Quirrel and his father whispered to each other discreetly. Surely that was proof that the new professor was safe; that his father obviously trusted the man enough to talk to him. After all, Severus wasn't exactly known for his love of social interaction with anyone outside his immediate family. But what if it was something that his father couldn't be aware of? He had been the only one who had been wary of Peter Pettigrew and look how that turned out. So, no matter how much he thought about it, he was still left with the same, un-answerable question; did he have a real reason to be suspicious of the new professor or was he simply being paranoid?

Suddenly, completely by chance, Harry's eyes casually met with those of Professor Quirrel across the Great Hall just as Ron Weasley was Sorted into Gryffindor. A loud cheer rose up around him, everyone glad to have another Weasley aboard the happy ship of Gryffindor and so effectively covered up the pain gasped that wrenched its way past the dark haired boy's lips. His hands flew up to cover his burning scar and his head bent down low in an effort to disguise the expression which was no doubt on his face. This was similar to what had happened before, but it was also very different from before, that day in Diagon Alley. Then, it had been merely uncomfortable. This was more than uncomfortable; this actually hurt and not just a little bit, it hurt a lot.

"Harry? You alright mate?" Fred whispered, his head ducking down to lean in closer to his friend's face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harry reassured rather breathlessly, the pain starting to fade, no longer as sharp or piercing as it had first been.

"Are you sure? You don't need to see Madam Pomfrey or anything?" George inquired, leaning half over his twin in order to be heard.

"No really, it's alright, I'm fine. Just a bit of a headache, it's not as bad as it was, it'll pass fully in a moment." The dark haired boy insisted, forcing a weak smile onto his face. Neither of the twins looked particularly convinced with that assurance but they apparently decided to let it pass, nodding their heads in unison and turning back to face the front of the Great Hall.

Obviously being a glutton for punishment or something equally as stupid, Harry looked back over to his father and Quirrel. The new professor had gone back to watching the children a few feet in front of the Head Table being Sorted. His father, on the other hand, still wasn't paying attention to the Sorting, instead opting to stare straight at Harry. Their eyes met for a split second before Harry quickly dropped his. He had a horrible feeling that the dark Potions Master had seen his little "episode" and the man, not being an idiot, would know that it was more than mere headache.

It seemed like the next thing Harry was aware of, the Sorting Feast had ended and everyone was starting to rise, getting ready to go to their dorm rooms for their first night back. He rose with Fred and George and joined them in giving Ron a wave as he was led out of the Great Hall with the rest of the new Gryffindor First Years. Much to his distaste, Harry noticed that the Potter boy seemed to be getting relatively friendly with the latest Weasley to attend Hogwarts. He knew it was none of his business and he wasn't going to interfere, he just thought that Ron could do a Hell a lot better than having Potter for a friend.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Severus was speaking to one of the Sixth Year prefects, his gaze occasionally flickering over to him. Harry knew what was coming; his father was going to check up on him. He had noticed the small episode of pain and now he wanted answers. Well, if the man wanted answers, he was going to have to fight for them because Harry was now determined to get out of the hall as fast as possible to avoid having to talk about it. The twins and he started to head out and it all went well for a little while before Fred decided to ruin it:

"Hey Harry, your dad's coming over." He noted, slowing his pace as he looked over at the approaching Potions Master.

"Yes, I know." Harry muttered, trying to discreetly prod the boy back into movement.

"Well? Aren't you going to go see what he wants?" George inquired, looking over his shoulder and down slightly at their friend who was even smaller than them now as they'd had a growth spurt over the summer.

"No, now move." Harry growled out, pushing him a bit more forcefully but it was still nothing more than a light pressure.

"Why not?" Fred asked and if ever Harry had been tempted to hit someone, it was then. However, before he could give into that temptation or even phrase a proper reply to the question, Professor Snape had reached them and the dark haired boy no longer had a hope of escape.

"Alright there Professor?" Fred and George chorused together, small grins on the faces.

"Messrs Weasley." The man replied, his face stony and his tone neutral.

"See you back at the Tower Harry." Fred said by way of good-bye as he and George scampered off leaving their friend alone with the intimidating teacher.

Harry swallowed nervously before forcing a smile onto his face and then tilting his head back to look up at his father. "Don't you have be down in the dungeons to settle the First Years?"

"That can wait." His father assured neutrally. "I need to put my own mind at rest first."

"Oh?" It came out as no more than a nervous squeak.

"I shall get straight to the point as you are so concerned with my new First Years; what happened exactly when Ronald Weasley was Sorted? And do not try and feign ignorance, I saw the entire thing." He warned, folding his arms over his chest and looking down at his son with a light frown which to the correctly trained eye was clearly a frown of worry rather than anger or suspicion or whatever else.

"Oh that, it was nothing much, just a sudden headache; caught me off guard is all." Harry reassured, proud that he managed to get that all out rather convincingly. "It's gone now; nothing to worry about."

The next few seconds passed dreadfully slowly as Severus scrutinised Harry carefully, obviously trying to decide whether the boy was being truthful or not. The dark haired boy was trying so incredibly hard not to shift on his feet or act suspicious in any way but anxiously wondering whether his story was going to be believed or not was making him feel rather antsy. It made things no better that the man gave nothing away with his expression. He could be thinking about what he was going to say to his new First Years or he could be considering the various torture techniques he was going to use to get the truth out of his son; there really was no way for Harry to even guess his father's train of thought.

"You say it's gone now?" Severus inquired, ending the seconds of still silence, the two of them the only ones left in the Great Hall though Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stood and watched the father and son silently at the door.

"Mmhmm." Harry hummed with a nod.

"Very well. If it comes back, however, you are to come down to the dungeons and I'll give you a potion for it." He ordered, his tone still remaining neutral and his expression remaining hard.

This was one of the occasions which Harry hated and which he found happening increasingly often. His father didn't believe him; it was painfully obvious and it made his stomach feel like a dead weight in his body. Guilt washed over him and he was acutely aware that the man in front of him was feeling more than a little disappointed in him. But to go back on what he had said would be to admit that he had just basically lied to his father's face and he couldn't do that. So, instead of relieving his guilt and telling the truth, he merely bowed his head and whispered:

"Thank you."

"You had best go and get settle once again into your dorm room; Professor McGonagall appears to be waiting for you." Severus told him in the same voice as before.

Harry glanced over his shoulder and noticed to the elderly teachers before turning to look back at his father. Although the man wasn't angry with him, there was an uneasiness between them which Harry wanted to deal with as quickly as possible before it could stew and cause problems between them later on. So, acting without concern of anyone who might be watching, the long haired boy stood up on the tip of his toes and planted a firm, but sweet, kiss on the corner of the thin line which was the man's mouth as he wrapped his arms around his waist and gave him an affectionate squeeze.

That seemed to work wonderfully as Severus practically melted into his son's hold, his own arms coming around the smaller figure as he leaned down and kissed the top of the boy's head when he had relaxed his feet and returned to his normal height. They remained like that for a few moments before the Potions Master pulled away gently and somewhat reluctantly.

"Go on, away with you brat before I decide to be on the safe side and make you spend the night under Madam Pomfrey's care." He threatened though his newly lightened tone meant that it was meant in nothing but pure jest.

Harry beamed up at the man in amusement and happiness, more than relieved that his tactic had worked and there were no bad feeling left between them. When he got a small twitch of the upper lip from his father, Harry turned and hurried over to the doors of the Great Hall where the Headmaster and his Head of House were still standing, each with their own, small smiles on their faces.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

6th September 1991: Morning

Harry groaned lightly as he stumbled out of the portrait hole, into the corridor behind, only just catching himself before he tipped over the whole way. Luckily, he soon recovered and dashed off to his right in order to try and make it to his first DADA lesson of the school year without being more than a few minutes late. As he ran, he struggled to tie his hair into a neat braid, the mass of silky black strands brought over his shoulder so his hands could twist and manipulate them and the length of black ribbon which he used to tie it dangling from in between his teeth.

Harry hated the first week back at school after the summer holidays for one reason only; it was so hard to get back into the habit of waking up at around six o'clock in the morning. Back home, he was allowed to stay in bed for as long as he wanted, usually only emerging from his bedroom at around midday when his stomach began to demand food. At Hogwarts however, he had to get up to get into the bathroom before everyone else, sort out his bag with all his books and such and then go down to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was too much! Add that to the fact that Fred and George never saw fit to wake him up and then make sure he actually got up, it was no real surprise that for the first week back at school, Harry got no breakfast and was usually late for his first lesson of the day.

Jumping off the last couple of steps on the flight of stairs he had been running down, Harry began to try and tie the end of his braid off without slowing down. He had absolutely no luck going at the speed which he was and he resigned himself to the fact he was going to have to stop, if only for a moment, in order to tie the ribbon securely. So, skidding to an abrupt halt, Harry quickly pushed his glasses back up his nose before swiftly tying the ribbon around the end of his braid with an ease and precision which could only be perfected with copious amounts of practice.

With that done, the braid was flipped back over his shoulder and the dark haired boy went to dash off again. However, a sight to his left caught his eye and made him stop before he even started. Not too far off from him was a brown haired boy who Harry recognised as one of the new First Years and he looked rather intimidated and lost. Harry couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the boy and, with no consideration for how late it was going to make him, he headed over to the shorter boy.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked gently, almost as if to make sure the boy didn't bolt like a frightened animal.

"I-I can't find my classroom." The boy stammered nervously, obviously making sure not to make eye contact with Harry.

"That's perfectly understandable, it is a massive school after all. What lesson do you have now?"

"Potions."

"Ah, lucky you." Harry mumbled mostly to himself. "In that case, you're in completely the wrong place. You need the dungeons. C'mon, I'll take to down there." Harry offered with a kind smile which seemed to ease the other boy's apprehension somewhat. He got a timid smile in reply and Harry took that as an acceptance so he turned and headed off in the direction of the dungeons. "So what's your name?" Harry inquired curiously as they two boys began to hurry down the corridor; not running or jogging but walking very fast.

"Neville Longbottom." The boy answered a little breathlessly and it was clear he was finding their pace rather taxing. They couldn't slow down though, they were both late enough as it was.

"Well Neville, I'm Haryon Snape..."

"Oh, I know who you are, everyone does." Neville interrupted him quickly and Harry gave the boy a curious glance which seemed to only embarrass the boy. "Well, what with the newspaper pictures and the chocolate frog cards"

"Oh yeah, forgot about those." Harry mused, having honestly forgotten about such things. "Anyways, you can call me Harry, most people do. It's usually only adults who call me Haryon."

"Why is that?"

"Two syllables are easier to say than three and you know how lazy teenagers are." Harry joked as they two boys entered the dungeons. "Best pay attention to where we're going so you don't get lost again." He advised as they turned a corner.

Neville nodded obediently before dutifully looking around himself. After a few moments of silence passed, the First Year spoke up again. "Is it true your dad is the Potions teacher here?"

"Yep; Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master and my father." Harry confirmed with a smile as they reached a closed door and he signalled for his companion to stop. "Just try not to blow up your cauldron and don't act out of line and you'll be fine." And with that piece of advice given, he knocked on the door quickly before lowering his hand to the handle and then waiting for the invitation to enter came.

"Yes?" The deep voice of the professor came through the door and Harry winced lightly at the tone; his father did not sound happy. It was only five minutes into the lesson, surely nothing too bad could have already happened to annoy the man so much? Especially with First Years who wouldn't start doing practical lessons for another few weeks yet. But having said that, Potter was in this class and considering the history Severus had with the boy's father it was quite possible that something had already happened.

Harry carefully opened the classroom door, stepping into the room behind and holding the it open so Neville could follow him in. All eyes were on them, each student obviously curious as to who it was. Severus looked positively murderous from where he was standing in front of the class and Harry would've been un-nerved if it wasn't for the fact he had seen so much worse. The class was made up of Slytherins and Gryffindors, each split to either side of the classroom which was no surprise.

Keeping his eyes fixed on his father, Harry gave the man a happy smile in an attempt to cheer him up, no matter how minutely. "Sorry to interrupt, I'm just dropping off a lost student." He said politely as he ushered the nervous First Year in and the encouraged him forward to find a seat. Severus seemed un-interested in the boy, thank goodness, and merely remained silent as this all happened. As Harry watched the Neville find a seat, his eyes caught Ron's. The youngest male Weasley was sitting with Potter on his left and a blonde haired boy who was obviously in Gryffindor too. Ron gave Harry a grin and an enthusiastic wave which the older boy answered with a smaller smile and a few wiggles of his fingers.

"You have already disrupted my class enough, please refrain from distracting my students as well." Severus scolded his son in an icy tone, glaring at him making it clear that his ugly temper was still very much in existence.

A few sniggers came from the Slytherins and Harry blushed lightly. "Sorry Sir." He murmured before turning and quietly slipping out of the classroom, making sure to cushion the door as it shut as to cause as little noise as possible before dashing off to try and stop his arrival to his own lesson being too late.

He ran full speed for as long as possible and when he found his legs were turning wobbly, he slowed to a rushed walk, his breathing laboured and his lungs sore. In all, it took him about five minutes to reach the DADA classroom from the dungeons. Considering the fact he had already been on the way to being late when he bumped into Neville, he was now a grand total of fifteen minutes late.

Reaching the classroom door, he knocked on it politely before opening it without waiting for the invitation as it was his own class. Inside, all eyes were turned on the door in curiosity. Professor Quirrel stood at the front of the classroom beside the black board where there was a rather detailed drawing of some kind of little scenario which he must have been explaining before Harry had arrived.

"Sorry I'm late Professor, I had to help a new First Year find his way to class." Harry explained through his panting breath, half leaning against the door in exhaustion.

"Qu-quite all right." The professor stuttered, his eyes immediately looking away when he saw that it was Harry who had come into the classroom. "Just take your se-seat and we-we'll continue."

Harry released a sigh of relief and slunk into the room, finding the seat which Fred and George had saved for him. They shuffled over a bit to allow him more room and gave him twin smiles in greeting which Harry returned. He settled quickly, organising himself and switching his attention to Quirrel who had already started the lesson again. The dark haired boy's breathing was still a little heavy but it was gradually easing back to normal and his lungs no longer felt sore and empty. Feeling eyes on him from over to the side of the classroom, Harry looked over to see that Draco was looking over at him, studying him somewhat critically, probably due to the Harry's flushed cheeks and his manner when he had entered the classroom. Harry just gave the blonde a bright smile. That seemed to be enough for that moment as Draco returned the gesture with a small smirk before turning back to the front of the classroom.

As Harry inked the quill he would use to take notes, he idly noted to himself that there weren't many teachers, and not just in Hogwarts, who would let a fifteen minute late arrival go by without so much as a scolding word.

7th September 1991: Mid-Morning

"You know, for everything that people say about this subject, so far, it ain't half bad." George mused to his brother and Harry from where they sat at their table near the back of the Divination classroom near the beginning of their first Divination lesson ever.

A faint hum of conversation ran through the class as the students spoke quietly to each other while they drank their cups of tea in preparation for reading each other's tea leaves. Everyone actually seemed to rather enjoying themselves. All except for Harry however, who sat glaring at the cup of tea in his hand as if it had just insulted every member of his family AND the Weasleys AND Gryffindor AND also thrown in that it supported Voldemort just for the Hell of it.

"Yeah," Fred agreed with his brother, leaning back lazily in his chair as he took another sip of his milky tea. "Sitting around talking and drinking tea. Throw in some biscuits and this could very quickly become my favourite lesson."

"Even over-taking Potions?" George grinned, partly joking but also partly serious; both of the twins were actually huge fans of Potions but that was with no thanks to the subject's teacher.

"Ah yes, good point. Maybe if it weren't for Professor Snape making the class such a wonderful experience..." Fred joked, suddenly interrupted by explosive coughing from Harry. The two Weasley's turned surprised eyes onto the smaller, dark haired boy as he quickly put his cup on the table and then brought his hands up to cover his mouth. "It wasn't that funny Harry but thanks anyway." Fred grinned.

"I...I'm not...Laughing...You prat." Harry spluttered through his coughs. "I got...A m-mouthful of te-tea leaves." His coughs calmed slightly and he wrinkled his nose in distaste as he tried to spit some of the brown bits back into his cup.

"That's cheating mate." George said completely seriously though that in itself made it a joke.

"Funny." The dark haired boy coughed out before trying to wipe out some of the leaves out of his mouth with his index finger. It soon became apparent that wasn't going to work however so him simply gave up, opting instead to pour the rest of his cup of tea into Fred's half finished cup.

"That's cheating too, ya know." Fred smirked and it was that smirk which finally un-did Harry and broke through his sour mood, encouraging a smile from him. "Ah, there's the Harry we all know and love." He teased playfully. "Sweetest Gryffindor in years."

"People are not still saying that are they?" Harry groaned with a small chuckle.

"More people than ever." George laughed, obviously finding it all very amusing. "I'm surprised you haven't actually heard someone say it yet; not like people try and hide it anymore."

Harry leaned his elbows forward on the table and rested his chin in the palm of his right hand. "Of all the ways they can compliment me, they have to pick sweet. It's because of the hair isn't it? Makes them all think I'm a bloody girl or something."

"I dunno mate, I think sweet is a pretty accurate description of you personally." Fred admitted and was accompanied with George who nodded his head in agreement.

"Traitors." The dark haired boy grumbled, glaring off over at a corner.

"It's hardly an insult." George pointed out reasonably.

"And you have got to admit that you are awfully friendly and caring for a boy our age." Fred said calmly, not in the least put out by their friend's attitude.

"Being called sweet isn't a bad thing..."

"...And it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"If we were in your position..."

"...We wouldn't be complaining..."

"...Because we'd be too busy exploiting it."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry inquired curiously.

"People like you a lot Harry, because you're a nice guy. Practically everyone in Gryffindor wouldn't think twice about coming to help you whatever the situation." George answered with a smile.

"You could get a lot of favours done for you by our House mates without them expecting you to do anything in return." Fred added.

"That wouldn't be very fair though." Harry told them.

"And it is exactly because you think like that, that people say your sweet and would do all of your homework for the rest of the school year with just one word from you." George grinned just before Professor Trelawney began to speak again, effectively drawing their conversation to an end.

7th September 1991: Midday

Harry walked thoughtlessly through a corridor, on his way to the Great Hall for lunch. Fred and George had already earned themselves a detention which had to be some sort of record even for them. So, he was on his own which he wasn't too disappointed about; after that conversation about how people saw him as sweet he wasn't in much of a mood to play around and joke because, quite frankly, he was sulking.

He was a boy. Boys were not sweet and he resented being referred to as such. Okay, so he was kind and usually cheerful and he had nothing against offering to help someone with something if they appeared to need help. That wasn't being sweet though, that was just being polite! He had no problem with people complimenting him if they wanted to, it made no difference to him, but did they have to use the word sweet? It made him feel so...So bloody feminine. He scowled to himself lightly as he thought that; it was the hair, it must've been.

"Someone's looking less than cheerful." Draco voice suddenly came from beside him and Harry looked up to see the blonde Slytherin had fallen into step with him at some point. "Knut for your thoughts?" He asked easily though there was a hint of concern in his voice as well.

"Nothing really, I was just thinking about something that happened in Divination this morning." Harry sighed, letting his gaze drop to the floor again.

"Oh yes, you had your first Divination lesson today didn't you?" Draco mused. Harry nodded with a small hum. "How was it?"

"Not what I expected." Harry sighed in disappointment. "First part of the lesson was drinking tea. That took all of fifteen minutes. Then the rest of the lesson was spent trying to read the bloody leaves at the bottom." He frowned lightly. "I did not look forward to taking Divination for three years to sit staring at the bottom of a tea leafy cup for Merlin knows how long."

"Really Harry, what did you honestly expect then?" The blonde Slytherin asked with a slightly amused grin to accompany his tone.

"Certainly not half choking on a mouthful of tea leaves and then staring at a bunch of blotchy patterns that's for sure." The dark haired boy grumbled, glaring down at his shoes. "Havanist divination is far more practical; none of this reading tea leaves rubbish."

"If you stick with it you'll get to do the more interesting stuff; all lessons are like that." Draco pointed out reasonably.

"Hmm." Harry hummed, mostly just to show he was listening rather than actually agreeing.

Draco frowned lightly at his best friend's odd, somewhat distant, behaviour. "Is there something else wrong Harry? You seem a little...Well, out of it. Did you sleep alright last night?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I slept fine last night. I was just thinking about something that Fred and George said to me in lesson today..." Harry trailed off then, as if in thought. Mere seconds later though, he was focused again and he turned his head to look at Draco. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"Course I wouldn't." The blonde assured with a light frown. "Why?"

"Do you think I'm sweet?"

Draco gave him an odd look at that question. "What makes you ask that?"

"Apparently that seems to be the general opinion throughout the entire population of Gryffindor." Harry sighed, his head turning back to look ahead of him as his eyes dropped to the floor. "I just wondered if it was a general opinion or whether I suddenly become a sweet, very likeable person when I'm in the Tower."

"Well, thanks to some brainless Hufflepuff who doesn't know what to do with notes once they've finished with them, I know that there are at least two people in said House who would probably choose the word "sweet" to describe you." Draco told him, sounding partly amused and, strangely, rather annoyed as well.

"Great." Harry muttered, his shoulders slumping.

"I, personally, wouldn't use the word sweet to describe you, though I must admit it does fit you well." The Slytherin mused, sounding almost as if he was merely thinking out loud.

"Oh? How would describe me then?" The dark haired boy inquired playfully, fully intending for the question to be taken as a joke and for the replying answer to be as much as a joke. However, when a hand came out to wrap around his arm and made him stop and, in response, Harry looked at his best friend, he was slightly startled to see that the blonde looked extremely serious. In fact, it was probably one of the most serious expressions he had ever seen on Draco's face. It was more than a little un-nerving.

Time dragged on as the two boys stood in the middle of the corridor and stared at each other, Harry not knowing what to say and Draco seemingly in no rush to answer the previously asked question. Somehow, as if purposely waiting for the exact moment, just when Harry had opened his mouth and was about to finally speak himself, Draco silenced the slightly shorter boy with a small step forward, closing the gap between them considerably. The dark haired boy's mouth clicked shut abruptly at that and he looked at the blonde in confusion, totally stumped by his weird behaviour. Another second or so of silence and stillness passed again before, finally, the Slytherin closed his eyes and brought his hand up to cup the side of the Gryffindor's neck.

"I would describe you as the most beautiful creature alive, in both body and soul, but merely saying that would do you no justice. There are no words for you Harry because all words known to us pale in comparison. To effectively describe you, I would have to create a completely new word filled with the elegance and beauty you possess, a word that rolls off the tongue with such ease and pleasure that it could be whispered in your ear constantly for the rest of eternity. Then, and only then, would there ever be a chance of letting you know just how I feel about you and just how I see you."

That whole declaration had been said in such a hushed tone that it was almost a whisper and throughout the entire thing, Draco had continued to lean in closer until their cheeks were touching and his pink lips brushed against the shell of Harry's ear as he spoke the words.

Harry, for his part, stood completely rigid, un-sure of how he was supposed to act or even of what was really going on. The warmth from Draco's body was nothing he wasn't already familiar with but there was something about it this time which made his heart race and his stomach do summer-saults. Maybe it had something to do with the hand on his neck which seemed to make his entire body tingle despite the fact it was completely still. The warm puffs of breath in his ear made him want to shiver but his muscles were too tightened to allow them to shake his body. And the words, they were words that Harry never, in a million years, expected to come out of the mouth of his life-long best friend and to be directed to him as well.

However, just because all of this was very new and very strange, Harry felt no urge to make it stop and, if he was perfectly honest, it wasn't really that freaked out. A little startled, yes, but for some unknown reason he was very accepting of it, as if it wasn't out of the ordinary, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Underneath all the confusion and apprehension, there was a strange calm which made everything seem all right again, as if nothing in the world could possibly hurt him as long as he was near the boy who was pressed so very close to him.

When Draco moved away a little, Harry was fully prepared to ask the blonde what exactly he had meant with all of that. But, upon seeing his eyes, the breath in the dark haired boy's throat caught and he found he couldn't speak. Since when had Draco eyes been so bright and hypnotic? And weren't they usually a shade of grey instead of the shining silver which seemed to glow in the dimly lit corridor?

"Draco?" Harry whispered carefully, not knowing whether talking was a wise thing to do but feeling the need to say something, anything.

Draco didn't reply which Harry wasn't really that surprised with. However, what did surprise him was when the blonde drew closer again but instead of going past his cheek to speak in his ear, he continued straight on. The dark haired boy's eyes widened in a sudden realisation that his best friend of the past thirteen years or so was about to kiss him, right on the lips! They had kissed before but that had not only usually been on Draco's initiation but had also either been on his forehead or his cheek. No one had ever kissed him on the lips before! Well, except for Severus but the man was his father so it hardly counted.

Harry eyes flickered from the blonde's descending lips and then up to those eyes quickly. Draco's eyelids were lowered very slightly but some of the shining silver of his irises was still visible and Harry felt his resolve start to slip away. Those eyes were just so captivating, making him feel as if everything was right and just with the world. There was no desire to pull away, he was quite content to let what was about to happen, happen...

"Sirius was right; Snape really is the greasiest, most foul tempered git in the entire world!"

Harry snapped out of his pleasant frame of mind upon hearing those poisonous words from somewhere around him. His head turned to the side and he caught sight of the person it was who had said such hateful things about his father: Johnathan Potter, accompanied by Ron, Neville and two other boys whose names Harry didn't know yet. A glare found its way onto Harry's face as he watched the group of First Years continue on his way but he wasn't planning on actually saying anything to them. The case was obviously different for Draco though.

"Why don't you keep your's and your mutt of a godfather's opinion to yourself Potter?" The blonde called down the corridor to the group of five boys, sounding as annoyed as Harry felt.

"Why don't you mind your own business Malfoy? I wasn't talking to you." Potter stopped and raised an eyebrow at them. "Why don't you go back to doing whatever it was to Snape that made him turn that bright shade of red?"

It was with that remark that Harry returned to his senses and realised that he had Draco were still in a somewhat intimate position. The Slytherin was still holding his arms and their bodies were very close to each other. Rather hastily, the Third Year Gryffindor stepped away from his best friend, subsequently breaking the contact between them. Unfortunately, that seemed to only make Draco's new bad mood even worse and, although he wasn't sure, Harry thought he heard the blonde actually growl.

"You ought to watch your tongue Potter, you are only a First Year after all." Draco called threateningly, looking as if he was about to move towards the group of younger boys so Harry quickly latched onto his arm. That seemed to be really affective as the blonde's muscles seemed to liquefy and when he turned to look at Harry, his face was a lot more calm though there was still some traces of anger there.

"He's just a stupid kid Draco, he's not worth anything." Harry assured him, making a point of speaking loud enough for the boy in question to hear.

"Hey, who are you calling stupid Snape?" Potter called angrily as Ron, who stood beside the shaggy haired boy, desperately trying to make himself disappear.

Hearing that made Draco tense up again but nothing came of it as Harry tugged on his arm a little. "C'mon," he urged in a gentle, soothing voice. "Let's go grab something from the Great Hall and then take a walk, hmm?"

Draco said nothing in reply but did allow himself to be led away, all the while glaring at Potter darkly over his shoulder. Harry was just totally confused by his best friend's odd behaviour but he just put it down to having a bad day. What else could it be after all?

12th September 1991: Morning

"Ah, Hogwarts has officially begun now that you've managed to wake up in time to get to breakfast." George teased Harry as the dark haired boy joined them at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for breakfast.

"No thanks to you and Fred." Harry yawned as he plonked himself down next to the twin who had spoken. "Hasn't it ever occurred to either of you to wake me up when you get up?"

"You can't except us to remember to do that." Fred protested.

"Yeah, we're half asleep ourselves." George agreed with his brother.

"And pair that with the fact that during the year you're usually up well before us..."

"...And you really can't expect us to wake you up if you're still asleep."

Harry looked at the two grinning twins and found himself smiling back at them. "Excuses, excuses." He joked with a small shake of his head.

"Oh, hush up and eat your bacon." Fred ordered playfully as he pushed the platter of sausages and bacon towards the dark haired boy.

Harry said nothing and simply obediently began to fix himself a plate. When it was halfway through dishing himself some scrambled eggs, he became aware of a set of eyes which were drilling into the back of his head. He paused in his scooping and twisted around to look behind himself. It was then that he found Draco staring at him intently, obviously not paying an ounce of attention to Bethany Zabini who was chattering away beside him. Harry gave his best friend a small wave which seemed to please the blonde as he gave a small quirk of his lips before looking down at his plate.

Draco's behaviour had been very strange over the past few days. The blonde had insisted on spending more time with him than usual, often intentionally seeking Harry out for the soul purpose of spending some time together. Although the almost-kiss had never been attempted again, Draco had been oddly affectionate with him, insisting on greeting him with a hug and a kiss and then on them walking around holding hands or at least with their arms linked. And then there were times like this, where Harry would find Draco staring at him intently before looking away upon getting some acknowledgment, whether it was a smile or a wave. Harry figured it was just a phase the Slytherin was going through, possibly because they hadn't had much contact over the last month what with him and Lucius being in Austria.

The sounds of flapping wings and owl calls brought Harry out of his thoughts and he looked up to see that the morning post had arrived. It was his turn to write to his childhood friends from Saint Gwenifwar's this week so he wasn't surprised that there was no sign of Hedwig amidst the sea of brown. So, as mostly everyone else rested their knives and forks down in preparation to accept their letters and parcels, Harry just carried on eating, glad that he was actually going to be able to fill his stomach before his first lesson of the day for once.

Beside him, Fred and George each caught letters from their family's owl as well as a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet each. They both immediately cast the newspapers aside, not even sparing them a glance. Harry looked at the papers curiously out of the corner of his eyes, his fork still partly in his mouth, before reaching over and picking one up. He pulled his fork out of his mouth and untied the twine which held the newspaper in a roll as he swallowed his mouthful of food. He un-furled it and his eyes instantly widened upon seeing the headline. As he read the front page, his eyes relaxed again before a light frown formed on his face.

"Something wrong mate?" Fred asked curiously as he leaned closer to look at the paper.

"No, not really, it's just..." Harry paused for a moment, as if considering something. "It's just that Gringotts was broken in to."

"Wow, someone out there's got a death wish." Fred commented. "How much did they get away with?"

"They didn't get anything, the vault they broke into had already been emptied." Harry murmured, his eyes still scanning the writing.

"That's all right then." Fred said easily. Harry merely hummed causing Fred to pause and look at him before sighing. "But there's obviously something else wrong." He said in a resigned tone.

"No, nothing wrong exactly, it's just...The vault they broke into, number 713, that's the one Hagrid and I went to that day he took me to Diagon Alley and all that was in there was a small parcel, about the size of my fist. There was nothing else in there, just that." Harry explained, not lifting his eyes from the newspaper.

"And?" Fred asked, his tone clearly conveying that he didn't understand where Harry was coming from.

Harry remained silent for a few seconds before he shook his head slightly. "Nothing I guess. It's probably just a coincidence." He looked up finally and gave his friend a smile. "Sorry I distracted you."

"Doesn't matter; better to distract me and talk your worries out rather than keeping them to yourself and driving yourself nuts with them." He pointed out before returning to the letter from his mum.

Harry gave a small sigh before glancing down at the paper for a second and then looking up again. It was then that his eyes met with bright hazel ones from across the table. A girl he didn't recognise with rather brown frizzy hair was watching him carefully and he got the distinct impression that she had heard his entire conversation. For a moment or so they simply stared at each other before the girl gave in first and looked away. It was only then that Harry also looked away too.

With one final glance at the Daily Prophet, Harry returned to his breakfast, pushing away his feelings of doubt and suspicion as he pushed away the newspaper itself.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

13th September 1991: Evening

Harry paused in his writing in order to stretch his arms and back until several satisfying cracks sounding from various joints. He then allowed everything to slump as he looked down at his just-finished Divination essay on reading tea leaves which was resting on his lap. Boring and pointless but it was at least easy. With a small sigh, Harry leaned forward and reached for his school bag which was resting by his seat in order to get his Potions book and another sheet of parchment.

It was evening and, for some unknown reason, Harry had been banished from his dorm room by Fred and George for the next few hours. He was a little miffed that neither of the boys would at least tell him what they were planning and why exactly he couldn't be there for it but he did have to admit that the alone time was very useful for getting his work done. He had learned quickly in First Year that there was no point in trying to do work while in the company of either of the twins. Fred was slightly better than George when it came to education, but not by much. It was more like whereas George wouldn't even start his work, Fred would start but last all of five minutes before he got bored and decided to do something else, namely, distract Harry.

So, Harry continued on with his work, enjoying the peace and quiet and the warmth of the fire he was sitting in front of. There was a low hum of chatter throughout the room which was more comforting than distracting, reassuring him that he wasn't alone. However, that was abruptly broken when the portrait hole opened and Oliver Wood all but jumped in. Harry watched as the Fifth Year glanced around the common room before going over to a couple of students who were playing chess.

"Hey, have you seen Harry? I need him." Oliver asked the pair quickly, sounding a little breathless.

"Oliver?" Harry called over to him, giving a small wave when the older boy looked over to him.

"Ah, Harry, I need you." Oliver told him quickly, hurrying over him as soon as he caught sight of him.

"What for?"

"Well, it's more like Gryffindor needs you...In a Quidditch way."

"Oh Oliver, I don't know..." Harry said reluctantly with a small shake of his head.

"Please Harry! You should've seen try-outs this afternoon!"

"I did see them, I was there with Fred and George remember?"

"Then you know exactly what I talking about! Oh please Harry. You'd be a brilliant Seeker! Remember your first year? That day that Charlie was knocked off his broom; just before that you caught that snitch as though it was a normal ball." Oliver reminded him enthusiastically.

"Yes, but that wasn't in a competition. I just like playing Quidditch for fun." Harry pointed out.

"You'll still be playing it for fun, you'll just have reason to win." Oliver tried though his tone was an obvious indicator that he was trying desperately to convince him. Harry merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Please, I need you on the team; Gryffindor needs you on the team."

Harry stared at the Quidditch Captain neutrally for a second before rolling his eyes and releasing a huge sigh as his finger-tips snaked underneath his glasses to rub his eyes. "Fine, okay."

"Seriously? You really will?" Oliver checked excitedly.

"Yes, I'll play Seeker for you." Harry assured with a small smile at the other boy's enthusiasm.

"Oh yes! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Oliver laughed happily as he pulled Harry out of his seat and actually picked him up, crushing him in a hug for a second before putting him back down. In doing so, he drew the attention of most of the common room. "I owe you one Harry, I really do." The older boy grinned as he backed up towards the entrance. "I have to go tell Professor McGonagall. I'll let you know when practice will be."

He reached the portrait hole and disappeared through it leaving Harry to be the sole focus of the common room. The dark haired boy glanced around at all the people who were staring at him in interest before giving another sigh and reaching down to snap the cover of his book over; he'd get no more work done down here this evening. As he gathered his stuff, he decided to wander down to the dungeons to spend some time with his father, tell him about being on the Quidditch team now, maybe get some help with his Potions essay.

All eyes were still on Harry even as he left the common room and he felt noticeably more relaxed the second he was outside and there was no one else around. He didn't hesitate to head off in the direction of the dungeons but when he was halfway down the stairs, he found he had to pause as the staircase decided it wanted to change its position. It was while that was happening that he looked back over to the Fat Lady and saw Ron, Potter and the frizzy haired girl from yesterday's breakfast charging through the portrait hole as if they had just narrowly escaped death. He thought nothing of it though, they were just three hyper-active First Years after all, and once his staircase had stopped moving, he continued on his way down.

Several minutes later, Harry found himself in front of the door into the Potions classroom, his hand raised so that he could knock on it lightly. After he had knocked, he lowered his hand and waited for his father to invite him in. However, after a couple of minutes had passed and there was still no sound from within, Harry decided to ignore previous advice to not go in the classroom without permission, (to avoid possible accidents he imagined). He tried to push the door open but found that it wouldn't budge; it was obviously locked. Sheer reluctance to admit that he had come here only to find a locked door led Harry to jiggle the door handle. Sighing when that predictably failed, he wandered backwards slowly before turning around, having decided to try his father's personal rooms.

It took Harry all of two minutes to find his way to the portrait of Salazar Slytherin which always made Harry want to shudder. He very lightly tapped on the frame of the painting, all the while suffering under the intimidating glare of the Hogwarts Founder. It wasn't surprising that his father didn't answer his knock considering how quiet it was and so Harry decided that the man wouldn't mind if he just let himself in and even if he did mind, a slight telling off from his father was preferable to standing there with the man in the portrait staring at him darkly without blinking.

"Half-blood Prince." He murmured, making sure to keep his eyes off of the portrait. The picture swung away without comment for which Harry was infinitely grateful for. "Thank you." Harry said quickly as he dashed through the hole. He glanced over his shoulder to watch as the portrait closed behind him before turning to look into the room only to find it dark and empty.

Walking further into the room, the candles on the walls flared to life, effectively lighting the entire room to a comfortable degree. Harry took a moment to look around himself in contemplation before heading over to the bedroom door to check if maybe the man had already gone to bed. That possibility was quickly dismissed though when he peered into the bedroom and saw that although it was dark, there was no tell-tale lump in the bed which would indicate someone in it. So, having established that, he closed the door again and then leaned back against it as he thought.

It was quite possible that there was a staff meeting that evening or the Potions Master might've just had a meeting with Dumbledore on his own. Or he might've been down in the greenhouses checking on ingredients that he sometimes grew himself. He might even have been patrolling the corridors though that was doubtful as it was only just past curfew.

It didn't really matter where the man was at that moment; what did matter was that he would have to come back eventually. With that in mind, Harry decided that he could wait. He didn't try and kid himself that he'd do his homework while he waited and simply slumped on the sofa in front of the fire, swinging his legs up onto the other two seats and stretching out lazily, the top of his head brushing up against the side of the arm rest.

Time began to slip away then and Harry lost track of how long he spent staring up at the dark ceiling above him, watching as the shadows flickered from dark to darker with the slight movements of the candle flames. Eventually, the waiting did pay off as the sound of the door to the room opening came, shortly followed by the sound of said door closing. Harry couldn't quite summon the effort to sit up fully so he instead chose to simply raise an arm so that his hand would be visible over the back of the sofa.

"What exactly are you doing in my room?" His father's deep voice came in reply to his hand.

"Well, I did come to spend some time with you but then you weren't here so I thought I'd stare at the ceiling instead." Harry answered playfully, allowing his arm to drop to his side again. The only reply he got was a non-committal grunt. "Bad day?" He asked in a sympathetic tone, his eyes moving along with his father's movements despite the fact his actual view of the man was blocked by the back of the sofa.

"I have, admittedly, had better." Severus sighed tiredly as he came into view, coming around the side of the sofa where Harry's head was resting. He leaned down and pecked a kiss on his son's cheek. After, Harry automatically sat up enough to give his father room to sit down where his head had previously been. Once Severus was settled, Harry lay back down so that the back of his head was resting on his father's thigh. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" He inquired as he brought the tip of Harry's braid up and began to untie the neat bow which secured it.

"I needed to get out of the common room." Harry sighed as he allowed his eyes to close.

"Oh?"

"Oliver Wood talked me into playing Seeker for the Quidditch team; everyone found it fascinating."

"Congratulations are in order then." His father murmured quietly as he flicked his wand in the direction of the fire-place causing the charred logs to burst into life with a new strength. He then returned to his son's braid and pulled loose the bow before getting to work on taking the braid apart.

"Hmm." The dark haired boy hummed in his I'm-merely-acknowledging-you-not-answering-you way.

"You don't sound too enthusiastic."

"You know me Father, I'm not really one for competition."

"Yes, I must admit that it does seem an odd choice on your behalf."

Harry gave another sigh and let his head role to the side so he was staring into the now-lit fire. "He just seemed so desperate and he wanted me to say yes so badly..."

"So you did so, just to make him happy." Severus finished off for his son in a knowing voice. "You think entirely too much of other people Haryon; I've told you that before."

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Harry said lightly, a small smile creeping across his lips.

"In many situations it could very well be."

They lapped into silence then, the only sound coming from the occasional crackle from the fire-place. As Severus finished pulling the braid loose, he switched to combing the length of it through with his fingers while Harry kept his gaze on the fire. The glow and dancing of the flames were rather captivating, almost hypnotic. Harry suddenly remembered the other day with Draco, the one where they had almost kissed, with that thought and he considered asking his father about it or at least making the situation known. He had decided at some point recently, he wasn't sure when, that he was going to try and confide in others around him more often. His constant lying wasn't healthy or even particularly mature and it showed a mistrust in those he should trust the most. So, he was going to try and stop. When something happened which he thought someone ought to know, he'd tell them and this thing with Draco seemed like a perfectly good place to start.

"Draco was acting strangely the other day." He murmured quietly, his eyes not straying from the fire.

"How so?" His father's soothing voice answered.

"He was completely normal when I first met up with him but then he seemed to suddenly get very serious without warning. And then we had a bit of a thing with Potter shooting his mouth off and he got un-necessarily angry. I mean, considering the situation and what was actually said, he did over-react a little. Though he did seem to calm down drastically when I touched his arm and spoke to him."

"I see."

"Do you think there's something wrong maybe? Or was he just having a bad day and I'm worrying too much?" Harry asked quietly, turning his head so he could look back up at his father's face.

"He was most likely just having a bad day but I will make sure to speak with him if it will put your mind at ease." Severus assured his son as he gently patted the top of the teenager's head.

Harry smiled happily at that, glad that he had told his father and his mind was now at rest, on that subject at least.

31st October 1991: Evening

A figure in a black cloak swept through an open door easily, glancing over their shoulder as they moved. Once inside, they turned and began to shut the door, slowly. Over their shoulder, a glimpse of what was inside the room could be seen; a dog, a really big dog and, as it moved, another head came into view. So, either there were two really big dogs in there or it was part of the same monster. As the crack between the door and the door-frame continued to shrink, the figure turned back to face the inside of the room just as another black cloaked figure ran up to the door and flung it open...

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry gasped as he staggered uneasily, slumping against the wall beside him as he brought a hand up to press against his forehead. It had been quite a while since he'd had his last "thing" and that was definitely a "thing". His head swam nauseatingly and the ground felt as if it were moving underneath his feet; if he wasn't already having his weight supported by the wall, he would definitely be on the floor.

That "thing" had been the most confusing one so far. Usually it was pretty clear what was going to happen: the girl at Saint Gwenifwars getting injured; Lucius being killed by Voldemort; Charlie getting hit by the bludger; hearing how to use the Marauder's Map. All of that had been obvious. This one wasn't so. Although what had happened had been clear to see, its meaning was a total mystery. Was what he had seen happening or about to happen? And whereabouts was it going to happen or already happening? It was no where that Harry recognised and so he wondered why he had seen it. All the other "things" he'd had before had been useful for him even if he got them too late to stop them. This one though; what could he do if he didn't know who he had seen or where they had been? Thinking about it though, last year when he had fainted just before his DADA lesson one day, that one hadn't made much sense to him either; it still didn't, because nothing had ever come of it as far as he was aware. Maybe not all of his "things" were meant to be things which would affect him...

With a somewhat shuddered sigh, Harry dropped his hands and opened his eyes. A dull ache pounded behind his eyes and he felt suddenly drowsy as he usually did after his "things". Carefully, he edged across the wall, ignoring the dizziness which made his head spin, intending to make his way to the boys' bathroom in order to get a drink of water or at least splash some cold water on his face. However, when he reached the girls' bathroom first, he decided to risk going in there. He could honestly see himself passing out in a minute or two if he kept on walking and considering it was half way through dinner it was very unlikely that there was going to be any girls in there to disturb.

He stumbled into the silent bathroom and almost immediately went tumbling to his knees, only just managing to catch himself on the door frame of one of the cubicles. With a small, relieved breath, he slid onto the floor so his legs were curled to his side and leaned heavily against the door frame which he had caught himself on. If he could just sit there for a while and give his head some time to stop swirling and his legs to regain their usefulness then he might still make it for the last of the Hallowe'en celebration.

Harry's eyes closed restfully and was actually glad of the chill that the floor beneath him possessed; it was helping him from not drifting off to sleep. That was quite possibly the last thing he wanted; falling asleep and then being found in an hour's time by a girl. Not only would that be extremely hard to explain, it would also be the most embarrassing thing ever. He doubted it would happen with the constant cold which seeped in through his robes and chilled his skin though.

A few minutes passed without any sound except for Harry's steady breathing. However, when he was starting to feel better and was growing increasingly aware of his surroundings again, he realised there was another sound in the bathroom. It sounded like quiet sniffling, as if someone was crying but trying really hard not to be too loud. With a light frown, he shuffled over on the floor a bit and pressed his ear against the shut door of the cubical next to him. The sniffling was definitely coming from in there. He raised his hand and, very gently, knocked on the door.

"Go away!" A tearful voice ordered almost instantly.

"Are you alright in there?" Harry asked gently, ignoring the order and lowering his hand onto his lap.

"You're a boy!" The girl behind the door accused. "What are you doing in the girls' bathroom?"

"Don't try and get out of answering." He chided her lightly, doing exactly that himself. Nothing else was said then and Harry waited only a few seconds before he tried again. "Talking about it might help."

Another few seconds of silence passed before a sniff came and then, finally, an answer: "Everybody hates me."

"Aww, now I'm sure that's not true."

"It is. I heard them making fun of me. They said I was a nightmare and it's no wonder I don't have any friends."

"And who are "them" then?"

"Johnathan Potter and Ron Weasley."

Harry felt a small flare of anger at that and resolved to have a firm talking to with Ron. Potter there was nothing he could do about but he could at least have a go at the youngest male Weasley. "I wouldn't worry about what they think; they're eleven year old boys, what do they know?"

"What about everyone else though? If they're not right why don't I have any friends?" The quivering voice challenged.

"Well, have you made an effort to get to know people yourself? Sometimes you have to make the first move when you're making friends and maybe wait a little while until they become true friends, until they're used to your personality and have learned to appreciate your little quirks rather than be annoyed by them." He paused then, waiting to see if the girl had a reply for him. When she only sniffed, he continued. "When I was younger and went to a different boarding school, I didn't know anyone and I was completely different to them all as well. But I got past that. I started to talk to people because I knew if I didn't I'd spend most of the year in isolation. Meeting new people and trying to make friends can be scary and intimidating, but it's something you need to do, especially at a boarding school. And if, for some odd reason, there really isn't anyone your age who wants to spend time with you, you can always come and find me, I'm usually hanging around somewhere on my own seeing as my friends Fred and George are in detention so often."

"You're Haryon Snape!" The voice gasped in realisation.

"Most people call me Harry but, yeah, that's me." Harry confirmed with a slight smile.

The click of a lock being slid away came suddenly and Harry quickly struggled to his feet, clinging to the painted wood of the cubical to haul himself up. Slowly, the door to the cubical opened and the girl with frizzy brown hair came out, her cheeks flushed and clammy and she rubbed her eyes with her hands. She stopped when she was just in front of Harry but didn't lift her head to look at him, instead keeping her eyes on the floor, her hair coming around her head like a protective curtain. Carefully, Harry leaned forward slightly before reaching out and pushing some hair behind her ear so he could see her face a little more clearly.

"What's your name?" He asked gently.

"Hermione Granger." The girl murmured.

"It's nice to meet you Hermione." He said with a warm smile which she hesitantly returned. "C'mon, if we hurry we can still make the Hallowe'en Feast. Best splash some cool water on your face before we go though, just to take some of the flush away." He instructed kindly, ushering her towards the sinks with a hand on her shoulder. She gave another sniff and a small nod as she moved forward obediently. "So, how are you enjoying Hogwarts so far? Class-wise that is."

"Oh, classes are fascinating! Though I must admit that I'm glad that flying lessons aren't going to last much longer." She told him enthusiastically as she turned on the tap.

"Not a very sporty person then hmm?"

No answer came until Hermione finished splashing her face. "No, not really. Not even back home. I was one of the only people in my class at Primary school who wasn't interested in football."

"Oh, are you Muggle-born then?" Harry asked easily, recognising the name of the Muggle sport.

"You don't mind, do you?" She asked him un-surely, a drip of water falling from her nose.

"Course not; I dealt with Voldemort after all." He told her with a playful nudge which made her smile again. She glanced around herself, most probably looking for something to dry her face with. Harry noticed that there was nothing suitable around so he fished his handkerchief out of a pocket of his robes. "Here you go."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry, I have plenty of them." He assured her, remembering that George had said the very same to him earlier that year. As Hermione accepted the cloth and began to dry her face, Harry thought that he heard a dull thud come from somewhere. A light frown of confusion crossed his face and he stood complete still, listening carefully. When the thud came again, he was positive he had actually heard it. "Do you hear that?" He whispered.

"Hear what?" The girl asked in a whisper as well.

"That thudding."

They both fell into silence then, listening as intently as they could. They glanced at each other when they both heard the noise again, Hermione's eyes widened slightly in apprehension. Harry looked away after a few seconds, when the noise came again, a little louder this time. When it came once again, just a little louder than before, a horrible feeling swept through Harry making him shudder unpleasantly. Without really thinking about it, he shifted so he was standing in front of Hermione, his eyes glued to where the entrance to the bathroom was which was being blocked from his view at his angle by one of the cubicles.

"Harry, what is it?" She asked him fearfully, glancing up at his face before looking where he was. Harry couldn't quite find his voice to answer but that turned out not to matter. The thuds were so loud that they sounded as though they were coming from somewhere very nearby. So nearby that it could have been right in front of them...

Slowly, over the top of the cubicles, the two Gryffindors saw the ugly, grey head of what they both instantly recognised as a mountain troll. The breath caught in both of their throats as the giant creature stomped further into the bathroom, a massive club clutched in its hand dragging along the floor behind it. Harry backed them both up a few steps when the monster turned and looked at them and, for a few tense seconds, none of them moved.

Then, when the troll decided to stagger forward, Harry reacted instantly. He grabbed Hermione around the waist before flinging open the door to the cubical next to them and dodging them in there, shutting and locking the door behind them. When the sound of splintering wood reached their ears, they both dropped to their knees and covered their heads with their hands just in time to escaped having their heads taken off by the troll's club, Hermione screaming all the while. Harry silently cursed to himself and began to crawl out of the now ruined cubical, making sure to nudge his companion as he passed her to get her to follow along. Luckily, she caught on to what he wanted her to do and started to wriggle forward as well.

Harry scrambled up onto his feet the moment he was able to stand up properly again and hastily started to search the pockets of his robe for his wand. Unfortunately, it soon became horribly obvious that he didn't have it with him and it didn't take him long after that to remember why. The nap he had been taking earlier, before he fell asleep his wand had been digging into him; he'd simply pulled it out and dropped it on the floor and then forgotten to pick it back up! He suddenly felt like screaming himself as the troll seemed to only just realise that he and Hermione weren't dead and started to head over to them again. But then he remembered...

His staff! He could use his staff! True, he'd never used it for anything else but really basic healing spells and one time he managed to send High Priest Sephiran's cat to sleep but he didn't really have much of a choice at that precise moment. He at least knew how to create a shield to protect them until help arrived and he was pretty confident that help would arrive; a fully grown mountain troll surely couldn't go un-noticed by the professors.

With Hermione once again on her feet and now standing behind him, Harry pulled off the pendant around his neck and held it out in front of himself by the slim chain. "Eteleht(1)." He said quickly, not even letting go of the chain. That hardly seemed to matter though because the pendant dutifully began to grow longer as the familiar soft breeze swept up around them. Harry barely even waited for it to fully grow before he had grabbed it, held it out and up in front of himself and in a clear, commanding, tone called the word: "Beria(2)!"

The effect was, fortunately, instantaneous. The pearl on the top of his staff shined a brilliant white and then, in the blink of an eye, the white had left the pearl and had instead covered Harry and Hermione in a misty dome which they could just about see out of. So, they were both more than ready for seeing the massive club come crashing down towards them as they had been able to see the troll approaching. However, what Harry hadn't been ready for was how much the impact would affect him. When the club hit the shield, Harry felt the jolt through his entire body. It didn't hurt but it was a strain and it made keeping the barrier extremely hard. His control wasn't the greatest as it was, what with this being the first time he had ever cast this spell let alone used it practically, and the un-nerving sensation he was now feeling in a constant rhythm as the troll continuously pounded on the dome wasn't helping things.

Predictably, it soon got too much for Harry and with a gasp of effort, the barrier shattered with the sound of tinkling glass just after it had protected them one last time from an attack. Harry forced himself to shake of the shock in his system at having his spell broken so violently and quickly made a dive for the corner, making sure to pull Hermione along with him, before the troll could swing at them again. It would take him another minute or two to regain the strength and focus to recast a shield and he was afraid that was time they couldn't afford.

"I don't suppose you have your wand with you?" He whispered to her breathlessly as he pressed her back into a corner, protecting her with his own body.

"It's in my bag inside the cubical I was in." She whispered back, her tone full of self-disappointment.

"That's alright, it's okay." He assured her quickly, keeping his eyes focused on the troll which had luckily seemed to have lost track of them when they had moved position so quickly and were now they pressed tightly into a corner. It was going to be all right. The teachers would be there soon. They just had to keep very still and very quiet...

"Hermione? Are you in here? There's a troll in the school so we came to..." The voice of Potter came just as he and Ron came running into their view, stopping right in front of the troll. They stared up at it in horror and as they were now the easiest target, the troll headed for them.

Knowing that neither of the young boys would be any match for a head-on confrontation with the troll, Harry thought quickly and dove for a piece of wood from the ruined cubicles. He picked it up quickly and chucked it up at the troll, aiming for its head. The wood missed, but only just, sailing by its ear rather than hitting the back of its head. Hermione, now free to move again now that she wasn't trapped in the corner, joined Harry in his task and started throwing bits of wood at the trolls head as well. She even ended up having more luck than Harry as the second piece of wood she threw hit the monster right on the back of its head.

"Nice throw." Harry complimented with a grin in her direction. Hermione smiled back at him quickly before picking up another piece of wood and throwing it at the troll again.

The troll's attention was now firmly on Harry and Hermione and it was making his way back over to them. Harry quickly grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her back until they were backed against the wall and could go no further.

"For goodness sake, one of you do something!" Harry ordered the two younger boys, throwing a glare at them around the approaching troll.

"Like what?" Ron asked desperately.

"I don't know! Anything, any little spell you can remember, just do it quickly!" The eldest boy cried, making sure to keep Hermione behind him for her own protection.

"Ron, remember Charms class this afternoon!" Hermione reminded him quickly, holding her arm out to the side and doing the necessary hand action for the boy to see.

The youngest Weasley immediately got his wand out of his robes and pointed it at the troll just as it had drawn the arm which held the club up and back, preparing to bring it crashing down on Harry and Hermione. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He said with a swish and flick of his wand. The four Gryffindors watched with no small amount of relief as the club remained floating in the air directly above the monster's head as it brought its arm down. They all winced when the spell faded and the club came dropping down, hitting the troll directly on the head with a horrible clunk. But that solved their problem as the troll's eyes rolled back in its head and it fell to the floor with a crash, sending up a cloud of dust which they all shielded their faces from by turning their heads to the side.

Only when all movement had stopped and everything was quiet again did any of them move. Tentatively, Harry allowed Hermione to move away from behind him and she stepped forward carefully, not taking her eyes off of the still form of the troll. "Is...Is it dead?"

Potter stepped towards the troll and leaned in closer to it. After a few minutes of silent study, he straightened back up. "No, doesn't look like it; just knocked out."

"How'd it get in though? That's what I'd like to know. It's too stupid to do it by itself." Ron pointed out, also stepping up to observe it now he was positive it was safe.

"Yes, well what I'd like to know is what you two are doing down here?" Harry asked with a stern frown; they had known there was a troll, they said so when they first came in.

"We could ask the same thing of you." Potter replied with an accusing glare.

"We came here to get Hermione." Ron quickly interrupted, obviously wanting to nip any argument between his best friend and the best friend of his elder brothers in the bud. "Neville told us Hermione was here and we knew she wouldn't know about the troll." Upon hearing that, Harry gave Hermione a small smile and a knowing look which made her blush lightly and a small, pleased smile to make it onto her face.

"Oh my goodness! What has happened here?" The voice of Professor McGonagall suddenly interrupted and the four Gryffindors turned to look at their Head of House enter the bathroom with Severus and Professor Quirrel in tow. Quirrel, un-surprisingly, looked nervous and on edge while Severus was staring at his son in a cross between surprise, horror and anger. "Explain yourself, all of you."

"Er...Erm, well...You see..." Harry, Potter and Ron each stammered, un-sure of what they could say.

Professor McGonagall gave them all a disapproving look until suddenly, Hermione spoke up. "It's my fault Professor."

The three boys stopped talking immediately and everyone turned to stare at her in disbelief. "Miss Granger?" The female professor asked, sounding slightly aghast.

"I came looking for the troll. I've read about them and thought I could handle it...But I was wrong. If it wasn't for Harry, Ron and John, I'd probably be dead." She told her Head of House, lying rather convincingly.

"Be that as it may, all have you have put yourselves in very real danger. And you should feel lucky; there aren't many students your age who could take on a fully grown mountain troll." The woman said to all of them before turning her attention to Hermione."Ten points from Gryffindor Miss Granger, for your serious lack of judgement. As for you three," she said, glancing at each of the boys in turn. "Five points will be awarded to each of you." They all looked at her as if she was nuts but they were definitely happy about it. "For sheer dumb luck." She told them primly before turning and sweeping out of the bathroom.

The four Gryffindors released sighs of relief; all things considering, they had got out of that pretty well. However, when Harry caught his father's gaze, he knew that he, at least, was in for far more trouble. Hermione must've noticed as well because she gave his arm a small, sympathetic pat. Harry managed to give her a weak smile in thanks before stepping forward and around the unconscious troll, using his staff to keep himself balanced, making his way over to his father. The dark man only gave him a small glare when Harry reached him but the boy knew it was the same as an order to follow him. With a very small groan, Harry obediently followed his father out of the bathroom.

The father and son walked all the way down to the dungeons in complete silence but that only meant that Harry could concentrate on how his father was walking. The man was definitely moving with a limp, a rather large one. He so wanted to ask his father if there was something wrong and if he could do something for him but he knew that asking at that moment wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe after he had explained what happened and Severus no longer wanted to kill him he'd ask if there was anything he could do to help.

Upon reaching Severus rooms, the professor said the password and the portrait swung open. Harry did as he was expected and stepped in first. When he reached the middle of the sitting area, he stopped and turned back to where his father would enter from, holding his staff close to him in an unconscious gesture of self-protection. He kept his eyes lowered and his head slightly bowed but he did manage to see when his father was standing in front of him. The teenager steeled himself for a what was coming.

"What were you doing in there Haryon?" Severus asked his son and although his tone was stern, there was no crippling anger there. Harry looked up at him in surprise and the man seemed to understand why he did. "Despite what Miss Granger said and your innate nature would indicate, I do not believe that you would have risked yourself like that. You would have wanted to help but I believe you would have done so by alerting either myself or another professor. Now, I want you to tell me why you were there."

Harry took in a deep breath, preparing himself to tell the truth. He'd fight the lie which was playing on his lips and he'd tell the truth; the complete truth. "I didn't sleep very well last night so I thought I'd have a rest before dinner. I fell asleep though and when I woke up, the feast had already started. I didn't want to be anymore late than I already was so I took a short-cut which led be past the girls' bathroom and...Well...Do you remember that on the day the Dark Lord attacked me the first time I passed out that afternoon?" Harry paused until Severus nodded his head. "That time, I saw an image of Uncle Lucius dying. Just as I was walking down the corridor, I saw something, like last time...Sort of. There was someone in a black cloak, I don't know who, going into a room through a door and, in the room, there was a really big dog, I think it had two heads. When the image faded, I was on the verge of passing out I think. I went into the girls' bathroom to splash some water on my face to perk myself up and that's where I heard Hermione crying so I went to check on her. We were just getting ready to go to the Great Hall when the troll came in."

Severus studied his son carefully for several moments before releasing a sigh and pulling the teenager into his arms. Harry didn't hesitate in returning the hug, wrapping his arms around his father's shoulders, holding his staff in one hand behind the man's back. "You are going to be the death of me Haryon." He murmured with a slight, forced chuckle. "You definitely took a few years off of my life when I saw you standing there."

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered sincerely, burying his face in the slope of Severus' neck.

"I've suffered worse." His father assured before pressing a kiss to the side of his son's head. "But I am concerned about what you saw and that fact you felt so drained afterwards. Perhaps you should discuss this with Professor Trelawney."

Harry wrinkled his nose at that. "I'd rather not, I don't have much faith in her abilities."

"Perhaps your priest then." Severus said with a hint of reluctance in his tone.

"High Priest." Harry corrected without really thinking about it. "If it'll put your mind at rest then I'll mention it during our next lesson."

"That is all I ask." His father conceded.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

14th November 1991: Morning

Harry stared down at his plate of bacon, scrambled egg, sausages and hashbrowns and felt his stomach turn unpleasantly. With a slight groan of distaste, he pushed the plate away from himself as he turned his head to the side so he no longer had to look at the sickening pile of greasy, meaty breakfast. He considered taking a sip of pumpkin juice but decided against it; his stomach probably wouldn't appreciate it.

It was the day of Gryffindor's first Quidditch match of the school year and Harry was completely petrified. His first real match and, worst of all, it was against Slytherin. Of all the Houses, his first match had to be against Slytherin. Why? Did Madam Hooch enjoy seeing him sweat? Or maybe it was Fate who did seem to have somewhat of a grudge against him anyway. And what made playing against Slytherin worse was that it meant he'd be playing against Draco who was still a Beater. Draco hated to lose intensely and Harry was sure that if Slytherin lost, the blonde wouldn't be speaking to him until Christmas at least.

"Have a piece of toast mate." George coaxed suddenly, bringing Harry out of this thoughts. The dark haired boy glanced at the heavily buttered triangle of toasted bread and felt his stomach protest once again. With a small shake of his head, he waved the offered food away with one hand as the other came up to cover his mouth.

"C'mon Harry, you need to eat something, keep your strength up and all." Fred advised as he popped a bit of black pudding into his mouth which almost did the trick of making Harry throw up what little he had already consumed.

"I seriously don't think my stomach will take anything guys, especially with you chomping away on that...Stuff." He told his two best friend, referring to the black pudding which Fred was still quite happily eating.

"Gotta agree with Harry there Fred; I don't know how you can eat that." George said with a slight wrinkle of his nose.

"What's wrong with black pudding? It just tastes like sausage." Fred defended, pausing in his eating.

"Yeah, but you do know why it's black right? And why there are those little flecks of white in it."

"Course I do. So?"

"So? So, it doesn't bother you that your eating pork mixed with pig blood and pig fat?"

"Oh Goddess..." Harry moaned as he buried his face in his hands, his stomach once again lurching nauseatingly.

"It's not like it's poison George." Fred said reasonably, totally missing Harry's moan of distress. "It's properly cooked and all stuff that's safe. You're just being fussy."

"Well if not wanting to eat blood and fat makes me fussy..." George began to say but was cut off when Harry suddenly got to his feet and climbed over the bench they were sitting on. "Harry?"

"I'm sorry but if you two have to keep talking about black pudding then I can't sit here. I'm going to go and have a lay down, try and calm my nerves before the match; see you out there." The dark haired boy ended quickly before he dashed off out of the Great Hall.

Harry hadn't got much further than a dozen feet from the entrance to the Great Hall however when he came to a stop as he was confronted by the sight of Draco and his gaggle of hangers-on including one Bethany Zabini who was hanging off of the blonde's arm. Draco was already dressed in his Quidditch robes minus all the protective padding obviously. None of them had noticed Harry and he wanted to try and keep it that way; the last thing he needed was a confrontation with Draco at that moment. Luck obviously wasn't at his side today however as no sooner had he thought that thought than Draco's eyes fixed with his and he was well and truly noticed.

Draco instantly yanked his arm out of Bethany's grasp like her touch was burning upon realising Harry's presence and returned the glare she sent him with full force. By some sort of super Slytherin psychic telepathy trick, (or something like that) Draco's friends carried on walking as he came to a stop. Bethany took a little longer to go, standing around pouting for a little while before giving up and stalking into the Great Hall, shooting Harry a dirty look as she went past him. The dark haired boy paid her no mind though, far more focused on the on-coming encounter with his best friend and, for today, Quidditch rival.

"You look pale." Draco noted in a casual tone.

"It's just nerves. Well, and the fact that Fred and George were discussing the properties of black pudding in fine detail." Harry said with a light laugh.

"Sensitive and understanding as usual." Draco sneered, his tone oozing sarcasm. Harry shook his head a little and gave another small laugh. "You're not dressed in your Quidditch robes yet." The blonde pointed out and, despite the inquisitive tone, it clearly wasn't a question.

"Uh, no, I was, I was going to go and get changed now. And have a lie down." The dark haired boy replied, tagging on the last bit as a sort weak joke.

"Probably a good idea; help to settle your nerves." The Slytherin said with an approving nod. Harry gave a small nod at that which faded slightly when Draco started forward. A few steps later and the two boys were only a mere inch or so apart. "Quidditch is a rough game at the best of times so I want you to be careful out there." Draco said gently and Harry couldn't help but role his eyes.

"Yes Father." He teased with a grin.

Draco grinned back as he stepped around his best friend, playfully nudging his shoulder with his own as he passed. "See you on the field Snape." He threw over his shoulder in mock severity as he swaggered away gracefully, moving into the Great Hall.

Harry watched him go with a small smile on his face before turning back to face forward and continuing onto the Gryffindor Tower.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry's heart was pounding like never before. He'd never been so scared, not even when he had come face to face with Voldemort when he was only nine. He stood next to Oliver Wood, waiting for the sign to fly out and the match to begin. The other four Quidditch players were behind him, Fred and George directly so, each of them looking suitably serious though they still held an playfulness about them. That was little comfort though.

"Nervous Harry?" Oliver asked easily, obviously recognising the Third Year's apprehension; it wasn't a hard thing to do after all.

"A little." Harry managed to squeak out, his eyes not leaving the wooden panel in front of them which would soon slide away to allow them to fly out onto the field.

"Ah, don't worry, you'll be fine. Everyone's nervous before their first game; even me."

"Yeah? What was your first game like then?" Harry inquired, slightly reassured to know that he wasn't the only one who had ever found this situation stressful.

"Erm...To be honest, I can't quite remember; took a bludger to the head about two minutes in. Woke up in hospital a week later." Oliver told him quite cheerfully, as if it had been a rather jolly experience.

Harry's eyes widened in horror and his head snapped back to attention so he was staring ahead of himself stiffly. If he hadn't been nervous before, he was now. He was going to end up in the Infirmary, he just knew it.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Now that he was actually playing, Harry was starting to wonder why he had so worried. As long as you kept your wits about you and paid attention to what was going on, you could remain pretty much unscathed. Yes, he had a very up-close and personal confrontation with a bludger at one point but that hadn't been particularly note-worthy. Nope, despite not having even caught a glimpse of the snitch yet, Harry was having fun and was feeling surprisingly relaxed. The fact that Gryffindor were currently leading by several points was probably the reason for the degree of calm he felt though he wasn't completely sure how many they were leading by as he was concentrating more on trying to spot the snitch than the commentary or where the quaffle was.

His focus eventually paid off as he caught sight of a glint of gold flash a few feet away from where he was. He didn't hesitate in darting off after it but things didn't run at all smoothly. He'd moved no more than a few metres before his broom suddenly jerked to a stop, almost throwing him off. Before he could even wonder what it was he had done wrong, the broom began to jerk around erratically: back and forth and up and down.

With a startled cry, Harry was abruptly bucked off of his broom violently and he only just managed to keep hold of it with one hand. A startled gasp came from most of the audience but it was merely a background sound for him, nothing to concentrate on especially as he had a rather more urgent situation to focus on at that moment. His broom was still jerking around erratically, too much so for him to even think about trying to hoist himself back up onto it. The most he could do at that moment was hold of for dear life and simply pray that whatever it was that was wrong with the broom was only a passing problem and would eventually stop.

The amount of time which passed was very hard to measure but it couldn't have been too long as Harry did manage to hold on. Finally, the broom returned to normal and stopped jerking around so violently. A puff of relief left the dangling boy in a whoosh before he began to try and get back up on it. It was in no way an easy thing to do but he managed it and a cheer rose up when he was once again seated astride his broom. He wasted no time in resuming his search for the snitch, once again shooting off in a random direction.

Harry sent Draco an encouraging and reassuring smile as he flashed past him and noticed the concerned frown on the blonde's face. It was while he was sending his best friend that smile that he saw the glint of gold in the distance. He recognised it immediately and shot off after it, having to take a sharp corner and manoeuvre himself so he went underneath Draco's broom. It was a narrow pass but Harry managed to pull it off with only an inch of a gap between them and not startling the Slytherin Beater off of his broom.

"Haryon Snape has spotted the snitch!" The voice of Lee Jordan rang out and a great cheer came up from Gryffindor. Harry only frowned a little; did he have to announce it to the other Seeker like that?

As the snitch reared up, so did Harry and it was also at that moment that the Slytherin Seeker caught up to him. Seconds later, Harry winced as an elbow was jabbed into his side and he sent a scathing glare at the other Seeker. It was moments such at this that he really wished he wasn't a pacifist. He managed to dodge the next shove the Slytherin beside him sent his way and that's when the snitch decided it wanted to go down now. Two two Seekers copied it and fell into a nose-dive towards the descending golden ball. The snitch showed no signs of letting up or turning of anything and the ground was beginning to get a lot closer very quickly. It had turned into a Wizarding version of Chicken.

Harry frowned in determination; there was no way he was going to give in first if only to get back at the Slytherin Seeker for all the elbows. And, as luck would have it, he won the small game within the bigger game; with a glance at Harry, the Slytherin Seeker pulled out of the dive, leaving the Gryffindor to pursue the snitch on his own. A bright grin of triumph spread across the dark haired boy's face; surely there was nothing that was going to stop him now.

The snitch curved and began to fly horizontally, only about a foot or so above the ground. Harry copied it with an ease and precision which was astounding for who everyone thought was a rather inexperienced player. He stretched his arm out as much as possible but it wasn't quite enough and he so desperately wanted to catch it now, when it was right in front of him and he had no pressure for the opposition's Seeker. It was possible but he'd have to take a risk for it. He was pretty confident though, he knew he could do it.

It happened in nothing more than a second. One moment Harry was still up on his broom, reaching for the snitch which was fluttering so close to his finger-tips that he could feel the soft waves of air it created against the skin. The next moment, he had toppled off of the broom, rolled completely in mid-air and then landed on the ground quite roughly on his backside. The crowd was silent as he landed and then managed to stagger onto his feet, his lower back throbbing rather painfully. Then, when he brought his hand up to his mouth, the snitch fell out of it with a soft pop and the crowd absolutely exploded.

Harry smiled down at the snitch in his palm in satisfaction, un-phased by the deafening applause and the chants of "Go, go Gryffindor!" He'd won the game for his House team. He'd actually managed to do it! His first game ever. It was just...Just so wow. The only thing which tore his gaze away from the golden ball in the palm of his hand was the joint call of his name from Fred and George seconds before they dove at him, sending all three of them sprawling onto the ground.

"That was absolutely the most fantastic thing ever!" George yelled ecstatically, ruffling Harry's hair and totally messing up the top of his neat braid.

Fred paused all their wiggling and took Harry's face in between his hands so that they had to look into each other's eyes. "You are so bloody awesome!" He announced proudly before smacking a big kiss on the dark haired boy's forehead causing him to blush bright red but the happy smile was still wide across his face.

"Nice job Harry." Oliver called down to them from up in the air.

"Thanks" Harry called back, waving to him from underneath Fred and George who were still on top of him. "Erm, guys? Not that I don't appreciate the enthusiasm but do you think you could get off? You're kinda crushing me." He said a little shyly, moving his eyes to look over to George and then to Fred.

"Fine." Fred said with a small sigh which was supposed to sound serious but was totally ruined by the happy glittering of his eyes.

"Only because you won us the match though." George teased as he too got to his feet and then reached down with his brother to pull their friend up.

"I thought the only reason you on laying on me in the first place was because I won the match?" Harry pointed out with a grin.

"Maybe we should get back on top of you then?" Fred mused, giving Harry a mischievous look.

"No, no, that's all right, no need to do that." Harry assured them quickly, only half sure that they wouldn't pounce on him again.

The twins kept their word, they didn't pounce on Harry again. However, they did something equally embarrassing instead; they picked him up quite easily and settled him on each of their shoulders before parading him around much to the joy of the whole of Gryffindor House. There were four people though who were not so enthusiastic: Hermione; Potter; Severus and Draco.

14th November 1991: Evening

Harry watched with a heavy heart and no small amount of annoyance as Draco stalked away from him angrily. They had just had a massive fight, as the dark haired boy had previously predicted they would. Although it had been extremely difficult not to just cave in during the fight with his oldest friend, he hadn't about to apologise for something that needed no apology. What had Draco honestly expected? For him to throw the match? That was so unlike Draco; the blonde despised any form of charity if it was sent his way. Also, Harry had got the distinct impression that the match wasn't even what the Slytherin was angry about. Sure, he had used it for ammunition but most of the comments had been related to Fred and George which didn't make sense. Was Draco jealous that his friends had gone a bit over-board with their celebrating with him? Did the blonde wish his friends were like that with him or perhaps he wished he, himself, could be that way with Harry?

With a tired sigh, Harry gave a small shake of his head before turning and continuing into the Great Hall for his dinner which was what he had been doing before Draco had pulled him aside to initiate their little "discussion". At least the blonde had flounced off back to the dungeons apparently as he had gone the opposite direction to the doors which led into the Great Hall; Harry didn't much like the idea of suffering from the sensation of someone glaring at his back the entire duration of the meal.

Fred and George were already seated when Harry reached them and they had saved him a seat to the right of one of them. He joined them with a small sigh, plonking down heavily on the wooden bench before promptly leaning forward and supporting his forehead in the palms of his hands. "Didn't go so well with Malfoy then ay?" George, who Harry was sitting next to, asked sympathetically.

"At least it wasn't like I wasn't expecting it." Harry sighed again, lifting his head slightly and rubbing his forehead a couple of times. "I just don't know why he has to be this way. What did he want me to do? Throw the game just to make him happy?"

"Slytherin's are just weird." Fred commented, piling some mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"Hey, my entire family's Slytherin thank you very much." Harry pointed out with a small frown.

"So? You're not the only one with a weird family." Fred shrugged.

"Yeah, just look at Percy." George grinned in a low voice, as if their elder brother, who was sitting several seats down from them, might over-hear.

"I only meant that they think weird compared to the rest of us." Fred clarified his earlier point, seeing that their dark haired friend was still resentful of the earlier comment. "And given your family Harry, I should think if anyone was going to know that it would be you."

The small frown on Harry's face didn't disappear but it did relax slightly. Fred did have a point; kind of. Describing the general way of thinking of most Slytherins as weird was a little harsh. Saying it was different wasn't harsh enough. It was hard to think of a decent way to describe their thinking process in comparison to those of the other three Houses. But perhaps it wasn't fair to; perhaps doing so was too stereotypical.

"Harry?" A female voice suddenly cut into his thoughts and Harry returned to reality to find Hermione standing behind him and just to his side.

"Oh, hi ya 'Mione." He greeted her with a smile.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second...Alone." She asked, pausing before she added that last bit.

Fred and George both gave a long, drawn-out woo causing Hermione to blush and Harry to merely roll his eyes. "Sure you can, we'll go down and sit at the end of the table together." He told her as he rose to his feet. "I'll join up with you both after dinner, all right?" He said to the twins as he climbed over the bench.

"Sure thing." Fred agreed.

"Have fun." George grinned before taking a bite of his meat pie.

So, it was with that, that Hermione and Harry made their way down to the end of Gryffindor table where there was usually a few seats going spare with every meal time. However, when they got there, Harry was confused by what he found; Potter and Ron were already seated there. "I thought you said you wanted to talk to me alone?" He asked Hermione slightly suspiciously.

"We need to talk to you alone." Hermione corrected, gesturing with her hand for Harry to sit down. The older boy hesitated for a moment before releasing a defeated sigh and sitting down opposite the two younger boys, the lone girl sliding into her seat beside him.

"So, what is it you three want to talk to me about then?" Harry asked, effectively started off the conversation.

"Well, it's about the Quidditch match today, about what happened to your broom." Ron told him, sounding rather nervous.

"Oh?"

"It was being hexed." Hermione told him. Harry's eyebrows rose at that and he turned to look at the girl with wide eyes.

"It was being what?"

"It was being hexed." Potter said slowly as if Harry was having a hard time hearing it. "And it was being hexed by Snape."

That caused Harry's jaw to drop as he turned to stare at the dark haired First Year opposite him with wide eyes. "You can't be serious!"

"We saw him doing it." Ron said sympathetically.

"I've read about hexes and when you're casting them your not supposed to take your eyes of off the subject and Professor Snape wasn't blinking." Hermione explained. "And when his eye contact with you was broken when I set his cloak on fire, your broom settled down again."

"Okay, you three do realise that this is my father we're talking about, right?" Harry checked, his tone filled with disbelief.

"And he's also a Death Eater who served Voldemort quite happily since he was a Sixth Year." Potter pointed out with a sneer.

"He was a spy for the last three years of the War, everyone knows that." Harry insisted angrily, glaring at the boy.

"Harry, we just wanted to warn you." Ron told his brothers' best friend in what he hoped was a somewhat soothing manner.

"Of what? Some figment of the imaginations of three Gryffindor children?" The older boy demanded, turning his dark look on the red-head.

"We're only telling you what we saw." Hermione insisted. "Your father's up to something Harry and he has been for a while now. On the night that the troll got in, he came to the bathroom with a nasty cut on his right leg..."

"There's a three headed dog guarding a trap door on the third floor; we think your dad was bitten by it that night." Ron continued the explanation.

"Snape let the troll in a diversion so that he could get to the trap door and steal whatever it is that's being guarded." Potter finished, obviously pleased that he was the one delivering the actual theory the three of them had cooked up together.

"Oh my...I cannot believe I'm hearing this..." Harry said with a shake of his head, his left hand coming up to rub across his forehead.

"We're sorry Harry, we know this can't be easy to hear..." Hermione began to comfort him, resting a hand on his shoulder. However, Harry flinched away from her touch and gave her a poison-filled glare.

"Not easy to hear? Are you even hearing what you're saying? It makes no sense!" Harry hissed quietly, not wanting to be over-heard by anyone or to cause a scene. "This theory of yours makes no sense. Why would my father try and kill me because of this thing that you think he's trying to steal? How in Havanack's name is that connected?" He got to his feet then and stepped over the bench before leaning back down to the three First Years who seemed rather surprised at his out-burst. "I don't know why you've felt the need to piece this ridiculous story together, but stop, now, before you start causing some actual damage. I won't tell any of the teachers that you were up on the third floor and I'll forget this conversation ever took place but if I ever catch a hint of you three sticking your noses in where they don't belong, I won't sit by and ignore it again." And with that, the furious Third Year straightened up and headed out of the Great Hall.

"Oi Harry, aren't you eating anything?" Fred's voice came from behind him; the twins had obviously been watching him carefully.

"I'm not hungry." Harry shot back, his anger still clear in his tone, as he stalked out of the Great Hall.

He was so angry! How could those three think such awful things about his father? Even more, how could they actually believe in them enough to say them to his face? Harry wasn't an idiot, he knew his father was one of the least popular teachers in the school and no doubt there were little rumours that went around about him; he'd heard the one about the man being a vampire too many time to count. But to actually, seriously believe in such a theory...It was terrible, it really was. To think so little of such a wonderful man...

"Haryon?" The familiar, warm, baritone voice of his father came from behind him and he felt a little bit of his anger ebb away. With a small sigh, Harry stopped and turned around to find his father standing a few paces away from him.

"Father." He greeted the man quietly.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, fine, it was just something that Potter said." Harry explained, not exactly lying.

"I see. It must have been a little more than just "something" if it caused you to lose your temper as you did." The man said knowingly.

"It was nothing."

"Haryon." Severus said sternly.

Harry's eyes flickered up for a second before they fell to stare at the floor. "He said something about you."

"Ah, I see." The professor replied, his tone knowing but nothing else, a fact which wasn't lost on Harry.

"Aren't you angry?"

"My opinion of Potter is not high enough to even consider his opinions being of any value."

"You don't care what he says about you?" Harry asked, clearly totally stunned.

"Haryon, if I cared about and took notice of every single thing that has ever been said about me by a student of this school then I would have had to have resigned years ago." Severus told his son calmly. "It is best to not react to such comments."

"But you don't deserve it!" The teenager insisted heatedly.

"And as long as you and the few people who matter to me know that then no number of negative comments from immature students will ever affect me." The man assured with a soft smile as he rested a hand on his son's shoulder.

Harry released a tired, somewhat sad, sigh and nodded his head a little. His father was right, he knew he was, but it was hard to ignore such hurtful things, at least for him it was. If only everyone else could see what he did when he looked at his father. It was so unfair and although it was hard for Harry to believe that his father really wasn't affected by the rumours and such, it wasn't impossible to do so. After all, the man had a point; how else would he have managed to last so long in his job if he cared?

"Now, seeing as you left the hall without even having a bite of dinner and considering that I also have no desire to return there this evening, shall we head down to my rooms and have a house-elf bring us something?" Severus suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Harry agreed with a smile as he linked his arm with his father's and they headed off on the direction of the dungeons.

5th December 1991: Midday

Two months into being back in Hogwarts for his third year and Harry was now completely certain that Divination was a complete and utter waste of time. A month into lessons and they were still fiddling around with tea leaves! It was ridiculous really especially when the entire theory behind the technique was so vague and easily twisted. It was safe to say that Harry was now pretty certain that Havanist methods were best if you wanted to effectively and easily predict the future. Of course, there were a couple of Wizarding methods that he was hopeful for but a part of him was setting himself up for more disappointment.

And why was he thinking about how much Divination sucks at that moment? Because he was busy writing an essay on it as he was once again spending a lunch time alone due to Fred and George landing themselves in detention. Though, Harry had to admit, this one was at least justified; messing with someone's potions ingredients was a very dangerous thing to do even if the Third Year Prat of Gryffindor, Berty Blinkinsop, did deserve it for what he said about Professor Snape when the man wasn't paying attention.

Harry sat alone underneath a tree with branches full of golden and brown leaves, a few scattered around his immediate area as well. Although it was a rather mild day on its own, there was a brisk wind which made the temperature drop considerably so not only were his fingers painfully cold but he was also having trouble keeping his book on the right page and keeping the essay he had written so far from flying away from him. Luckily, he was almost finished so he would soon be able to put it all away and warm his fingers up too.

So Harry kept writing and had soon managed to finish. The moment that last full stop had been dotted, he instantly started to pack his things back into his school bag by his side. The book was snapped shut and shoved into the bag, the quill was quickly wiped off on the hem of his robe before dropped carelessly on top of the book and then he brought the parchment up to his face and gently blew on it to dry the final part of the essay. When that was done, he rolled the crisp, golden paper up before securing it with a bit of twine from his bag and then dropping said scroll into his bag with everything else.

With all of that done, Harry pulled a Quidditch magazine out of his bag. As he was now part of his House team, he felt he should probably make a bit more effort to actually be enthusiastic about it. So, he had taken to sharing the magazine that the twins had on subscription. He was gradually getting to like it more and more and he no longer flipped straight to the tips section. There wasn't a team which he supported exclusively yet, instead he showed interest in all teams which was handy as it meant that he could talk to anyone about Quidditch quite happily.

"Hi Harry." Draco's voice suddenly came from beside him as a shadow fell over him.

"Oh Draco..." Harry smiled, slightly surprised, as he tilted his head up at him, happy that the blonde was once again talking to him after all this time since the last Quidditch match. However, the smile vanished when the dark haired boy actually looked at his best friend properly. "Merlin, you look awful!" He gasped, noting the dark circles under the blonde's eyes and his rather lank hair which was lacking its usual sheen. His eyes were duller than usual and a definite sense of sadness was practically radiating from him.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." Draco sighed, running a hand over his face as he sat down right next to Harry, close enough so that their shoulders and thighs were touching. "Or the night before...Or the week before as well..."

"Why? Are you feeling poorly? I have to say you do look awfully pale." Harry said sympathetically, closing the magazine so he could give his full attention to his best friend.

"No, I'm not ill, I just couldn't sleep." The Slytherin assured as he drew his legs up to his chest and rested his forehead on his knees.

There was something the blonde wasn't saying, it was painfully clear. His was obviously unhappy, his body language screaming insecurity and depression. Harry waited a few seconds to see if the other boy was going to volunteer the information but once those seconds passed and there was still nothing, he realised he was going to have to do a bit of encouraging. "Draco? Is there something you want to tell me?"

"I lost my virginity." The blonde murmured, not looking up.

...Well that was unexpected...

"Oh...Wow, you don't waste much time do you? " Harry said a little nervously, unsure of what to make of the confession. After all, what exactly do you say to that? Congratulate him? Ask for details? His nose wrinkled slightly at that thought; he really didn't want to know the details. "Um...When?"

"Last month, night after the Quidditch match."

Not exactly recent then; why was he bothering to tell him now after such a long period of time? "So, erm, who's the lucky girl?" Harry settled on asking, looking down at the ground a few feet away.

"Bethany Zabini." Came the monotone reply.

"Well that doesn't surprise me but I can't say I'm thrilled with your choice. Couldn't you have picked someone less...Shrill?" Harry settled on after hesitating for a moment, not wanting to insult Draco's new...Oh dear Merlin, was Bethany Draco's girlfriend now? Ugh, perish the thought!

"I'm sorry." Draco said suddenly, his tone a little quivered as if he was on the verge of tears...

"I was only joking Draco, it's up to you who you have relations with." Harry assured quickly, not quite believing that his best friend had taken the criticism to heart. He looked at him and was shocked to see the blonde's shoulders were shaking slightly. "Draco?"

"I'm so sorry Harry." He whispered, sounding positively heart broken. Harry felt his own heart ache horribly and he quickly wrapped his arm around Draco's shoulders. Almost instantly, the blonde had slumped against him completely, his head buried in Harry's chest. "Please, oh please don't hate me." He pleaded, his arms coming around the dark haired boy's waist in a vice-like grip as though he was scared he was going to just get up and walk away.

"Hey, hey it's okay. I don't hate you, I could never hate you, it's alright." Harry whispered soothingly, gently smoothing down the silky strands of silver-blonde hair.

"Really?" The small question came against his chest.

"Yeah, of course." Harry assured uncertainly, really not understanding why Draco was so upset and why he was apologising to him of all people. He had a few theories such as the blonde was regretting his actions and wanted someone to tell him it was alright or maybe he thought Harry would be disapproving; he didn't know much about Havanists after all and it was quite possible that he thought that they were taught to wait for marriage or whatever.

No matter the reason though, Harry just held his best friend silently, just hoping that the young Malfoy didn't get himself into any trouble he was too young to properly handle.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

20th December 1991: Afternoon

It was Christmas once again at Hogwarts and most of the school's inhabitants were gone. A mere handful of students remained, including Harry and Draco. Lucius was required to work over most of the holidays so it was decided that there was little point in the two boys going to Malfoy Manor for the break period. So, what was going to happen was that they would stay at Hogwarts with Severus and then Lucius would come and spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day with them.

At that very moment though, Draco and Harry were at opposite ends of the school. Draco was in the library with a couple of his friends who had decided to stay too whereas Harry was outside, playing in the snow with Fred and George and Ron and Percy. Mr and Mrs Weasley had decided at the last minute to go and visit Charlie so the remaining Weasleys had remained. Harry wasn't complaining; he was enjoying their company and having a blast with the snowball fight they were having at that moment.

Harry and his two team mates, (Ron and Percy; Fred and George had said they could easily take all three of them) carefully made their way across the designated "war" area, all making sure to keep a very watchful eye and each armed with at least one snowball. The twins had managed to disappear somewhere and as they had allowed the use of spells anything was possible. A huge snowman might come lumbering at them, a giant snowball might fall on top of them or roll after them or the twins may have even cast a charm to blend in with the snow so they could ambush the team of three.

"Do you think maybe they quit and went back inside?" Harry suggested quietly, not allowing himself the luxury of looking at either of his team mates as he spoke; he didn't dare turn his gaze away from his assigned view for even a second.

"No, they wouldn't do that, not without getting us in some big way first." Percy mused. "They're around, somewhere."

"We haven't checked over by the trees yet; we did include them in the area when we were setting up the rules." Ron pointed out, turning and pointing over to a small cluster of trees which, although there were technically attached to the Forbidden Forest, were permitted as a safe place to be.

"I thought we were saving that 'til last?" Percy murmured, glancing over to said trees.

"I guess it is last; we've been around the rest of the area." Harry replied as they all altered their direction to head over to the trees. "Just make sure to be on your guard. Snowballs at the ready and wands out in case we need a lot of them very fast."

The two Weasley's nodded and they continued on without further word. At their slow, careful pace, it took them a few minutes to reach the cluster of trees and when they got there, they paused on the edge of them. The First Year, Third Year and Fifth Year all peered into the gaps between the trees, each hoping to catch a glimpse of an elbow or a foot of a tuft of red hair which would give away the position of at least one of the twins. Several minutes passed however, and they still hadn't seen anything.

Unable to put it off any longer, the three boys stepped into the trees very slowly, their eyes flitting about everywhere like nervous rabbits. When there was a sudden rustling from somewhere, they all froze. The sound didn't come again and the three Gryffindors began to think it was just all their imagination. That is, until there was another much more definite rustle from directly above them. They all tilted their heads back just in time to see two forms fall from one of the trees next to Percy causing Harry and Ron to jump back in surprise and also to save themselves.

"Die!" The twins yelled together as they crashed down right on top of their older brother. They landed in a heap of arms and legs and red hair and sending up a spray of white powder.

Harry and Ron could only watch as the three brothers wrestled around with each other in the snow. After a little while, when it became painfully obvious that the twins had the upper hand and weren't going to be satisfied until Percy gave in to them, Harry realised they were going to have to help their team mate out. He whispered his plan in Ron's ear quickly and the younger boy's eyes lit up in anticipation. They grinned at each other before stepping forward very carefully, not wanting to draw attention to themselves until the very last moment. Once they were close enough, they just had to wait for the opportune moment.

It happened very suddenly. Abruptly, Percy's arm came splaying out to the side as he yanked it away from the grip of one of the twins and both Harry and Ron grabbed onto it quickly and pulled. They kept pulling until Percy was out of the scuffle with Fred and George. Then, acting before the twins could properly sort themselves out again, Harry pulled out his wand and pointing it up to the snow-covered branches of the tree that the two Third Years had launched their aerial attack from.

"Expelliarmus!" He cast and the impact the spell had on the tree caused a lot of snow to fall loose and pile onto Fred and George below, effectively burying them with out-raged cries from them both.

Harry, Percy and Ron all instantly burst out laughing, highly amused to see the twins get the come-uppance. They watched, still laughing, as Fred and George's heads poked up from underneath the snow, disgruntled expressions on both of their faces. Their laughter faded however when each of them were suddenly smacked in the faces by large snowballs simultaneously, knocking them each off balance, though Ron was the only one who fell backwards completely. That cheered the twins up immensely and they took their turns to burst out laughing.

Not to be out-done by anything or anyone, Ron had taken the opportunity while he was on the snow-covered ground to get out his wand and make several decent sized snowballs in a very short period of time. With a simple Wingardium Leviosa, (his favourite spell in the world) he sent the white balls shooting off at his older brothers. Percy soon joined him, making the snowballs which Ron concentrated on sending them soaring at the twins while Harry went to go on his own mission.

While the twins were kept busy by Ron and Percy, Harry was able to sneak around the side and come up from behind the twins. Fred was the one who was sending the snowballs shooting while George was the one making them as fast as he could. An evil grin crept onto Harry's face as he knelt down and scooped some snow into his gloved hand. Carefully, gently, he smoothed and patted the white powder into a ball shape as he silently stepped over to George. When he was only a few paces away from the twins, he paused to prepare himself. Then, in a mere second, he had jumped forward, grabbed the back of George's cloak to pull the collar away from his neck and then promptly shoved his handful of snow down the back of his shirt underneath.

George howled at the sudden chill that froze his back which effectively stopped the current snowball fight. The other three Weasley's looked to see their brother struggling with the snow down his back with Harry standing over him laughing so hard he was almost crying. Ron and Percy soon joined him and even Fred looked like he was struggling to contain his chuckles but he managed to do so and instead opted for getting the dark haired boy back.

Harry laugh took on a startled quality as Fred suddenly lunged at him, but he managed to stumble backwards awkwardly, out of the red-head's reach. Fred landed face first in the snow earning more laughing from all the boys and Harry took the opportunity to move to run away, managing to make his way out of the trees and back out into the open. He hadn't counted on George however who, in revenge for himself and his brother, dove at the dark haired boy's legs, wrapping his arms around them, effectively ruining any chance the boy had of escaping any further than he already had.

A whoosh of air rushed out of Harry's lungs as he was tackled into the snow and he immediately started to giggle as both of the twins leapt on top of him and he took his turn in wrestling with his two friends. Soon, Ron and Percy had joined the fray, pouncing on top of Fred and George, partly to help the dark haired boy but partly because wrestling was a always fun thing to do.

The five boys continued on that way for quite some time, totally unaware of the two sets of eyes which were watching them closely the whole time: one set black and the other grey.

22nd December 1991: Afternoon

A small smile curved the edges of Harry's lips as he happily doodled on a sheet of parchment in a secluded corner of the school's library. He had escaped the clutches of the four Weasley brothers on favour of having a little alone time. It wasn't that he had gone off the company of the red-heads, it was merely that too much of their company could get a bit much for him. A bit of a break was needed and none of the others had seemed to hold it against him; they were probably thankful for the break from each other as well.

With a small tap with his wand, Harry animated the drawing he had just finished, the angel he had drawn fluttering around the page, traversing the other small doodles which he had finished and brought to life before. They were all nothing more than rather elaborate and detailed stick-people but that was about all he could draw. That hardly mattered though as he never drew for anyone but himself; he wasn't good enough to draw for other people and who would be interested in such a thing anyway?

Harry's eyes wandered over his sheet of parchment and he took in all his little doddles so far. Along with his newly drawn angel, there was a little snail making his way very slowly around the edge of the sheet; a rather fat, cute looking dragon which blew out a burst of fire every so often; a little Grim-Reaper, which was also rather cute, who went around the page chopping off the flower-heads of the plants he had drawn which simply grew back a few seconds later; a Hogwarts student whizzing around on a broom; a rather large Christmas tree whose lights, (actually just dots) twinkled in turn; and a hamster running around in a rather hyperactive manner. Those were just a few of the drawings he had on his page but they were probably his favourite.

Just after Harry had re-dipped his quill in his ink pot and was preparing to draw down another little doodle, a pair of arms suddenly came around his shoulders and a warm pair of lips pressed against the skin just underneath his right ear. "In here all alone?" It was Draco; big surprise.

"Mmhmm." Harry confirmed, opting to draw a few more flowers as it was hard to concentrate on anything else with Draco practically slumped over him as he was; he was heavy and there was little point in trying to draw something detailed at the same time as trying to hold a conversation with the blonde boy.

"How comes?" The gentle reply came with a few puffs of warm breath on Harry's neck, making him shiver lightly as a chill travelled up his spine.

"Just needed a bit of a break, I have been spending a lot of time with Fred, George, Ron and Percy over the past couple of days." The dark haired boy replied, flicking the tip of his quill around in a curve to create the smooth edge of a petal.

Draco didn't reply to that but Harry could have sworn that he felt the arms around his shoulders tighten a little and the body behind him press a little closer to him. He thought nothing of it though, putting it down to the blonde just getting into a more comfortable position. He heard Draco take in a deep breath through his nose before nuzzling the slope of his neck where the collar of his robes stopped. "You smell nice." The Slytherin murmured softly, his lips brushing against the Gryffindor's skin lightly as they moved.

Harry gave a small laugh at that. "Thank you."

"I've missed you." The blonde sighed before he pressed his lips fully against the dark haired boys neck, not really in a kiss but a mere stiffening of his lips for second would turn it into such.

"You saw me at breakfast, we sat opposite each other." Harry reminded his best friend, his voice still filled with amusement left over from the previous comment.

"Not the same." Draco murmured, his voice sounding strange; almost slurred and extremely relaxed for some reason. "You weren't close enough, too far away, needed you next to me..."

"Draco?" Harry asked quietly, his expression growing concerned as he listened to his oldest friend basically rambling which was completely out of character of the boy. "Is there something wrong?" Surely there had to be, right? What else would have the blonde acting so strangely?

"No, everything's perfect." Draco breathed in a calm, almost dreamy, tone and Harry could do nothing else but believe him and continue to wonder and worry what was going on with the blonde Slytherin lately.

25th December 1991: Morning

"Harry, wake up! C'mon, get up!"

The voice sounded somewhat far away, as if someone was yelling it over a great distance. But then when a large weight suddenly crushed him, the calls became louder, sounding as though someone was yelling right in his ear.

Harry woke up with a start, a small yelp escaping him as his eyes flew up and he hastened to sit up. On top of him he found the blurred forms of both Fred and George, both still dressed in their matching white and blue striped pyjamas, who had thankfully stopped yelling now that Harry was clearly awake. Luckily, the room was barely lit, the faint glow of a few candles the only light in the room so there was nothing to sting his eyes and practically blind him.

"Can't you two ever wake me up sensibly?" Harry grumbled before yawning widely and beginning to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"No fun in trying to wake you sensibly." George grinned lazily, rolling onto his back and also moving so he was laying directly on Harry's lap.

"What time is it?" The dark haired boy mumbled, reaching over to his bedside table blindly for his glasses.

"Six in the morning." Fred answered easily. Harry paused in his quest for his glasses and gave the red-haired boy a look of pure disbelief. "What? It's Christmas Day, of course we're up at the crack of dawn!"

"Merlin, it's not going to be light outside for another two hours and you both sound like you've been up for ages." Harry mumbled as he went back to reaching for his glasses.

"Not hours though." George disagreed.

"An hour and a half maybe." Fred mused, apparently genuinely thinking about it.

"You're both insane." The dark haired boy muttered as he succeeded in reaching his glasses. He brought them over to himself and slid them on, his eyes shutting some time in the process. When the spectacles were on, Harry lifted his head and opened his eyes, blinking a few times to clear his vision. "You'd best get off me if you want me to get up then." He pointed out in a tired voice. The two boys instantly rolled off of him, each grinning from ear to ear as their friend threw his duvet off of himself and swung his legs over the side of the bad.

"How can you be so casual about getting up on Christmas Day?" George asked as he rolled off of Harry's bed.

"Because it's not that big of a deal with my family. The only reason we even celebrate it is because everyone else does. I concentrate more on Nirhy at this time of year anyway." Harry answered as he pulled on his dark blue dressing gown and then tied the sash around his waist securely before trying to roll up the too long sleeves only to fail miserably.

"What's Nirhy?" Fred asked curiously as he too got off of the bed and followed on as George led Harry and him out of the room.

"It's a bit like a Havanist's version of Christmas. It's to celebrate the defeat of Geshtar; he was basically evil incarnate. It's also seen as the birthday of our Great Lady as it was today that she died but became whole again as a goddess." The dark haired boy explained easily.

"Wait, so your goddess was a human first?" George frowned slightly.

"Yeah."

"So you don't think that She created man and life and stuff?" Fred guessed.

"Muggle science has pretty much proved that we're all here on this planet because of the Big Bang and evolution, to try and deny it would be foolish. The Great Lady's purpose means so much more than to simply create and then watch. She's here to guide those who have learned to listen to Her and to wait for the Fifth Coming."

"The what?" George asked.

"Every millenia or so, evil will return in some form or another. When it does, our Great Lady is said to descend to Earth and aid the one She has created to defeat it."

"I thought you said She doesn't create us?" Fred pointed out as the three boys began to step down the stairs.

"With every return of evil, She creates a single person to fight it. The Three Elders are those She has created in the past. It's said that they're continuously reincarnated and will be for the rest of eternity but I'm a little doubtful of that; seems like more of a punishment than anything else and they of all people deserve no punishment." The dark haired boy told them as they reached the bottom of the stairs and headed towards the Christmas tree.

"Wow...You actually believe in all that?" George asked with a wrinkle of his nose only to promptly receive a slap around the back of his head from his twin brother. Harry was unaffected by the comment though and only gave the red-head a smile.

"It's a bit like having faith in Merlin." He said with a light shrug.

"Yeah, but Merlin was a real person, there's evidence to support that." George pointed out and got another slap from his brother. "Would you stop doing that!" He snapped at his brother.

"Will you stop acting like an insensitive oaf?" Fred hissed back angrily, glaring at his twin.

"It's all right Fred, I don't mind." Harry assured, still smiling. He turned his attention back onto George. "I can't give you any other evidence that the Great Lady is exactly that other than my own faiths and beliefs. I have faith in the power of my Goddess and I believe in the ideals of Havanists and the stories we're told. Surely, that in itself proves that She's real, because She's real to me?"

George stared back at him with a slightly uncomprehending gaze for a few moments before he turned away to look at the Christmas tree. "You don't have to justify your beliefs to me. You believe what you believe; I shouldn't have asked such things. Sorry." He mumbled and a heavy atmosphere fell around them.

"I don't mind, I'm glad you taken an interest in it, even if it is only to criticise." Harry grinned at him. He gave the red-head's shoulder a small playful nudge which encouraged a grin from the boy. "Now," the dark haired boy sighed, the atmosphere thankfully broken. "Time to open presents I think."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A bright smile decorated Harry's face as he stepped into his father's bedroom where the man was still in his bed, apparently asleep. Harry had arrived a few minutes ago having stayed with Fred and George until Ron and Percy and got up. He had brought his presents for Severus, Draco and Lucius with him and had already set them all under the small tree in the corner of his father's sitting room. Now, he was on a mission to wake the Potions Master up.

Stepping up to the side of the bed, Harry supported his weight with one arm on the edge of the bed and used the other one to gently jiggle Severus' arm. "Father?" He called quietly. The dark man laying in the bed began to stir almost instantly, rolling onto his back as his hands came up to cover his eyes.

"What time is it?" Severus' asked, his voice sounding rough from sleep.

"Just gone seven o'clock." Harry answered as he perched carefully on the edge of the bed.

"A bit early for you isn't it?" The man inquired as his hands coming away to show that his eyes were still shut to the world.

"Fred and George woke me up, wanting me to open the presents from them and their parents."

It was at this point that Severus decided to open his eyes only to be greeted with the sight of his son wearing a pair of normal black trousers along with a garish knitted jumper of a deep shade of green with a bright red H on the chest. "What in Merlin's name are you wearing?" He asked, aghast.

Harry grinned at him in amusement. "My Christmas present from Mr and Mrs Weasley. Don't tell me you don't like it Father? I would've thought you'd be sending an owl to the Burrow asking if Mrs Weasley would be so kind as to knit you one of your own." The teenager teased.

"How very droll of you Haryon." His father drawled lazily as he pushed the covers off him a little bit as Harry hoped off the bed. "Off with you then while I get dressed." He yawned with a wave of his hand, effectively dismissing his son.

"Want me to call a house-elf for some breakfast?" Harry inquired, pausing when he reached the door to the bedroom and glancing over his shoulder to where Severus was plodding around, gathering clothes.

"Yes, but specify my usual slightly sweetened porridge; I do not desire to be swimming in the grease of a full English breakfast because some foolish house-elf decides that Christmas is a time for over-eating on all manner of rubbish." Severus ordered before disappearing into the small bathroom which was attached to his bedroom.

Harry smiled lightly to himself as he watched his father go and then turned to leave the room again. In its own, very strange, way, the snarky Potion Master's foul attitude even in this season was rather endearing.

25th December 1991: Night

Harry trudged along a corridor in Hogwarts half asleep, on his way back from getting a cup of camomile tea from the kitchens. He had a serious case of insomnia at that moment. The day had passed in a rush of celebration and in all honesty, he really should have been exhausted. But then he had crawled into bed and instantly perked up. For ages he had remained in his bed, tossing and turning, not getting a wink of sleep. Then, remembering several occasions when his father had drunk a cup of camomile tea to help him relax before bed, Harry had figured he'd try the same. He hadn't betted on the sudden desire to crawl into bed again the second he had left it. He had practically been falling asleep over his cup of tea but he would bet any amount of money that the moment he got back into bed he'd instantly wake up again.

With a huge yawn, a really big one which required he shut his eyes, Harry turned a corner, fully expecting to pass through an archway. So, when he abruptly collided with the solid surface of a wooden door, he was more than a little surprised. His yawn was abruptly cut off and his eyes opened as he took a step backwards to see that, sure enough, there was a door in front of him. With a light frown, Harry looked around himself and realised that he had no idea what part of the school he was in. Well, that was obviously what happened to you when you wandered around dark corridors half asleep; you get lost.

The surprise having perked him up again, Harry let out a small sigh and went to open the door; he didn't recognise what part of the school he was in but perhaps the classroom behind the door would help him get a bearing on where he was. However, upon opening the door, he was confused to see that it wasn't a classroom behind, it was just a plain, slightly dusty room which was lit only by the moonlight spilling in through a small window to the right. Over in the top left-hand corner was something big and covered by a black sheet.

Curiosity led Harry to step further into the room. It led him over to the covered object and it compelled him to pull away the sheet to see what was underneath. At first, he was confused again, as he found only a large mirror, a very pretty mirror but merely a mirror none-the-less. However, things began to make a bit more sense to him when he looked more closely at the decoration on the mirror's frame. It looked so familiar, he was sure he had seen it somewhere before...

And that was when it hit him; this was the Mirror of Erised. He'd seen a picture of it in one of this father's book a while ago when he had been bored and had taken to exploring the shelves in the man's rooms. A mirror which could show you your deepest desire and show the happiest person in the world only themselves.

Harry was curious, he couldn't deny it, but he also wondered if seeing what the Mirror had to show him was the smartest idea. What if it showed him something that was completely unattainable? That would only torment him. On the other hand, what if it showed him something that he could quite easily get? That too would probably torment him as he would crave whatever it was, consequences be damned. But oh the curiosity! And as long as he practised a bit of self-control, surely everything would be fine?

Having successfully talked himself into it, Harry lowered his gaze from the top of the frame to right in the middle of the reflective panel. For a few minutes, nothing happened and it was only him there standing as he was, dressed in his pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers. But then, it began to change. His body in the Mirror turned ever so slightly so that the right hand side of his body was easier to see and, strangely, in his right hand, he clutched a silver sword with a thin blade and a jewelled hilt. His face in the Mirror was now different; so strange, so neutral, so cold, he didn't think he had ever had the expression on his face in real life. Slowly, a figure began to step forward out of the shadows in the background and Harry's jaw dropped when he recognised who it was: Voldemort. Before Harry could even begin to think how wrong the evil man's presence was and ponder over its meaning, something else happened to cut off all rational thought.

It happened very quickly, probably how it would happen in real life. One moment the Harry in the Mirror and Voldemort had been standing in front of each other and the next, the Harry in the Mirror had the sword raised and had shoved it all the way through Voldemort's body so that the tip stuck out the man's back, glistening red with blood. In some odd way, it looked like they were holding each other in a close embrace but the sword tip and the rapidly growing red stain seeping up the white of the Mirror Harry's pyjamas gave an all too clear picture of what was really happening. Mirror Harry suddenly gave the sword an upwards jerk, causing Voldemort to jerk forwards himself. Then, in one swift movement, the sword had been pulled free and the blood-covered boy had stepped away from the man allowing him to simply fall to the floor lifelessly.

The real Harry backed away from the Mirror hastily, his hands flying up to cover his mouth and his head shaking a few times in horror. He couldn't believe he was seeing this...It was terrible, sickening, frightening...

The Mirror of Erised showing him murdering Voldemort in such a violent, horrendous manner. Surely this couldn't be what he wanted? To hurt someone so brutally, even if it was Voldemort, was just something he would never do even if he wasn't a pacifist. Even if Voldemort had killed hundreds of innocents, including his darling Aunt Narcissa, and tortured many, including his father and godfather, and wanted to kill Draco and thought nothing of his own selfish needs and lusted after a nine year old boy and was cruel and heartless and deserved an eternity of pain and brutal suffering...

Merlin, Harry had never realised just how much he truly hated that horrible man! He had never really considered it but he saw it so clearly now. But still, to actually hurt Voldemort, to kill him in such an extreme, painful way...It couldn't be his greatest desire...Could it? The Mirror of Erised was showing him it so that had to mean that a pretty big part of him wanted it...

Harry felt suddenly ill and not just because of how graphic the picture in the Mirror had been. He felt ill with himself. There had to be at least a part of him that wanted to hurt Voldemort in such a way otherwise he wouldn't be seeing it, he'd be seeing something normal. But when had he ever been normal? A normal person wouldn't want to murder someone in such a way more than anything else in world. A normal person wouldn't be surprised by what they saw in the Mirror of Erised; they wouldn't be blind enough to not know what it was they wanted more than anything.

Once again shaking his head slightly, Harry turned away from the Mirror quickly and then dashed out of the room, not stopping until he was back in his bed. He didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

27th December 1991: Night

He was some sort of sick sadist or he possessed some morbid sense of curiosity. Either way, he was weird for voluntarily going back to the Mirror of Erised to only horrify himself again. Even he couldn't try and convince himself that his heart's greatest desire was going to change within the space of two days. He wasn't sure why he was going back to be totally honest; maybe he was just a glutton for punishment.

Nothing else had been on Harry's mind for two whole days. The image and what it implied haunted him and distracted him from everything. People had noticed: his father; Draco; Lucius; Professor Dumbledore; Professor McGonagall; Fred; George and Percy, they had all passed comment and he had simply assured them that he was fine and that there was nothing wrong. He didn't think for even a moment that he had convinced any of them but they had at least left him alone after that answer. This was one of those times when he really couldn't tell anyone the truth though. Not only had he broken the rules by being out after curfew, he'd also poked his nose where it didn't belong. And, maybe the most important reason why no one else could know, it made him a potential killer.

Now, as Harry stood in front of the Mirror once again, he was not in the least surprised to see the jewelled sword in his right hand. A resigned sigh left his parted lips in a soft whisper as he watched the Mirror-him with sad eyes. To desire such a horrific thing more than anything else in the world; surely that had to be a sign of poor mental health?

No, a sign of poor mental health was the fact he kept watching it. Even after it had finished and Voldemort was dead and bleeding at the Harry-in-the-Mirror's feet, the actual Harry glanced away for a second only to look back and watch it all play out again. It made no sense, not even to him, it was just something he kept doing. He just stood there watching it all play out again and again, dreading that it might one day happen.

And that was when he suddenly realised; what he was watching, it couldn't happen. Voldemort was dead, he had been for several years now. The scenario which played out for him continuously in the Mirror couldn't happen, it was impossible. That seemed to break whatever frame of mind Harry had been in for the past few days. His eyes flinched away from the Mirror once again but this time didn't turn back after a few seconds. He couldn't believe that he had even forgotten that. He had been so scared of the possibility that he might one day get the chance to do such a terrible thing that he had forgotten that Voldemort was gone now and he never would get the opportunity to do such a thing.

No longer wanting to watch the sight in the Mirror, Harry turned abruptly, intending to leave the room as quickly as possible, return to his bed and try his hardest to forget all about these entire two days. However, he had only just turned around when he found he had to stop as Professor Dumbledore was standing only a few paces away from him.

"Harry?" The elderly man greeted gently.

"Headmaster." Harry returned politely with a small inclination of his head.

"I see you have discovered the Mirror of Erised." He noted, glancing over to the Mirror before looking back down to Harry.

"Yes Sir, but I was just leaving." The Gryffindor murmured though he made no move to carry on, mostly because the Headmaster was standing in his way.

"Really? You possess an admirable amount of self-control my boy." Dumbledore complimented him but Harry got the distinct impression that the man knew exactly what was going on by the twinkle which made his eyes glitter in the faint moon-light.

"I have no desire to watch what the Mirror has to show me again and again. I don't even know why I came here again; I couldn't even force myself to hope that what I saw might've already changed." Harry admitted sadly, his eyes dropping to stare down at the stone beneath his feet.

"I see." The old man said in a rather solemn way.

"If you don't mind Headmaster, I think I'll go to bed now." The dark haired boy murmured as he finally stepped around Dumbledore and went to reach for the handle of the door to pull it open and leave the room.

"Harry?" The Headmaster's voice stopped him and the boy turned to look at the elderly man. "Do not be afraid to know yourself, for all knowledge is valuable." Harry stared at the other occupant of the room for several moments after that, not completely sure what to think, how to feel or what he should do next. Dumbledore seemed to understand his dilemma as he offered a kind smile and a small nod of his head. "Good night Harry."

"Good night Headmaster." Harry replied quietly as he turned away and pulled open the door.

"Sleep well." The wish barely reached Harry's ears before the door clicked shut behind him.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

6th January 1992: Morning

The gentle sound of rain pattering on the windows in the Gryffindor common room did little to soothe Harry or distract him from his thoughts. He, Fred and George were flopped out around the lit fire, Harry in a chair and Fred and George laying on the floor next to each other, all doing their holiday assignments so, for once, the twins weren't trying to distract their friend as they had a Transfiguration essay and a Divination essay due in the very next day which none of them had even started yet. Despite that fact however, Harry was struggling to concentrate anyway, his mind stuck on thoughts of the Mirror of Erised.

He hadn't been to see it since the night he had met Dumbledore there; he hadn't wanted to. What the Mirror showed him scared him and all he wanted to do was forget about it. Unfortunately, his traitorous mind wouldn't stop reminding him of it. Every day since that last time he had thought about what he had seen. It distracted him to the point that he often didn't hear people trying to get his attention. Everyone had noticed and they had all asked him what was wrong. As usual, he had simply assured them that he was fine and there was no need to worry. Neither his father or Draco seemed to believe him in the least but as long as they didn't call him on it, Harry was content to allow them that. Yes, it was a set back in his no-more-lying plan but could he really tell the people around him about what he had seen?

Suddenly, the portrait hole opened and the common room was invaded by a whole crowd of students who were returning from their Christmas holidays. They were loud and inconsiderate and totally distracting and prompted a reaction from the three boys by the fire. Harry glanced up from his book and wasn't in the least surprised to see that Potter was among the crowd, easily being the loudest of them all. He was going on about how wonderful his break had been and Harry thought he heard something about a cloak being mentioned as well.

"Oi, keep it down you lot." Fred ordered, looking up from his textbook.

"Yeah, some of us are trying to write about the delicate though imprecise art of reading tea leaves." George said with a grin, adding a touch of humour to his brother's rather harsh command.

"And not all of us wish to listen to the inane babble of Johnathan Potter." Harry grunted, half talking to himself and half addressing the room.

The room heard him clearly though as all had been silent when he'd said it and they all remained silent, not sure what to make of the comment. Predictably, it was Potter who reacted first. He glared over at Harry before moving over to him. "I don't remember anyone asking your opinion Snape."

"And I didn't ask to hear you bragging about your Christmas holidays but I had to listen to it anyway." The older boy muttered as he looked back down at his book, deciding to try and ignore the boy who now stood in front of him.

"You didn't have to listen." Potter pointed out with a sneer.

"You were speaking loud enough for the entire school to hear, it was impossible not to hear everything." Harry answered in a bored tone, his eyes remaining down.

However, when his book was sharply knocked off of his knees and landed on the floor with a small thud, he had no choice but to look up. Shining, emerald green met with dark, chocolate brown and for a few tense moments, neither of them moved or spoke. Then, finally, Potter decided to open his big mouth. "You know Snape, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous. What's the matter? Couldn't your dad afford to buy you anything on his pitiful teaching wages? That's the great thing about having a great Auror for a dad and being a Potter; you know that you'll always have the money to live a comfortable life."

Harry looked up at the other boy neutrally for a few moments before letting his gaze drop as he got to his feet. He was about a head taller than Potter but the older boy knew that would probably change all too soon; James Potter was rather tall for his age. "My father and I are quite financially secure thank you, what with my reward for defeating Voldemort still mostly un-touched. But money isn't important to us; we're comfortable enough to not have to show our love through material gains. Now, are you going to be a good little boy and run along?" He asked, knowing full well how condescending he sounded. Potter merely glared at him angrily and Harry had to fight back a smirk. "In that case I'll go." He said easily, dipping down to pick his book back up. With it in hand, he shot one last glance at the arrogant First Year before turning and heading towards the stairs which led up to the dormitories.

Harry had only just stepped onto the first step when he heard some scrambling behind him and he didn't need to look to know that it was Fred and George quickly gathering their stuff to join him. They didn't have to follow him but it was nice to know that they wanted to. They had joined him quickly and less than a minute later they were inside their room, Harry heading straight over to his bed and collapsing onto his back on it.

"Arrogant little snot." He muttered under his breath as his right arm came to cover his forehead.

"That kid needs to be put in his place." George agreed, slinging his school things on his bed, obviously now not bothered to carry on with his work.

"I say we get something especially for him when we next go into Hogsmead." Fred suggested.

"He's not worth it." Harry disagreed. "And it wouldn't do anything; he'd see it as a challenge and he'd have the help of his godfather, my father's told me many a story about Sirius Black."

A knock at their door came suddenly and before any of them could tell whoever it was they could come in, the door cracked open and Ron poked his head around. "I, uh, I just wanted to make sure you're okay?" He said, looking over to Harry.

Harry gave the youngest Weasley male a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it takes more than the immature jabs of your little friend to upset me Ron." The First Year didn't seem to know what to say to that so he just gave a small nod before pulling back and then pulling the door closed again. Harry released a small sigh before a rather wicked grin spread across his face. "Perhaps a few detentions with Finch are in need for young Mr Potter." He mused, sounding amazingly like his father.

"Leave it to us." George said with a grin of his own.

"Blaise Zabini owes us a favour anyway." Fred added, his own grin matching his twin's exactly.

"Blaise Zabini?" Harry echoed in confusion. "How on earth did you manage to earn a favour from Blaise Zabini?"

"Let's just say we found out something..." George began.

"...That he doesn't want his family to know." Fred finished.

"So when you say he owes you a favour, what you really mean is that you're going to blackmail him?" Harry asked with a small chuckle.

"If you want to be picky about it..."

"Then yeah."

7th January 1992: Afternoon

Harry sighed very lightly as stared down at the piece of parchment resting on the table in front of him. It should have been filled with notes and the such but in actuality, it was completely blank. Not because he wasn't interested in what High Priest Sephiran was teaching him, far from it; exorcism and the purification of a space to make it holy was a fascinating subject, he just couldn't concentrate. He wanted to ask his teacher something but he was scared to: he was scared of actually asking; he was scared of what the Elvish man would think of him; he was scared of what sort of answer he would get.

"I understand that this may not be the most entertaining of lessons Haryon, but I didn't think it was that bad." Sephiran's voice suddenly interrupted Harry's thoughts and he looked up to see that the ebony haired man was standing right beside his desk, kneeling down so that he was a little shorter than Harry's height sitting down.

"Oh, no, it's not that High Priest!" Harry quickly protested, not wanting the man to be offended in anyway. "I'm just...I guess I'm just a little distracted today."

"I see." The man murmured, seemingly studying his student's face for a moment. "In that case, is there anything you wish to discuss with me? To teach such complicated practices is useless if you're only half paying attention."

"I really am sorry..."

"No, no, do not apologise, there's no need. If you wish to show your remorse, allow me to help you so that we can resume our lesson sooner rather than later." Sephiran told him kindly with a smile, his head tilting to the side in such a manner that Harry had never seen the man use; playful, easy-going, something he could easily imagine Fred and George doing. It was reassuring, though at the same time it was strangely a little disconcerting too.

"I was just...Well, I guess...Erm..." Harry stumbled over what to say, not sure where to begin. "I...I was wondering about the Vow of Pacifism." He settled on finally.

"And what about it?"

"A couple of things really. How far can you actually go before you've officially broken it, what are the consequences of breaking it and are there ever any exceptions?" Harry mumbled awkwardly, knowing how odd he must sound asking such questions.

Sephiran seemed unphased however and appeared to be putting a lot of thought into his answers. "Well, the Vow is officially broken with even the barest hint of violence towards yourself or another. The consequences of breaking the Vow and, indeed, the exceptions, both very much depend on the situation. Acts of self-defense are often pardoned by our Great Lady for obvious reasons as is self-harm, especially when coupled with an actual problem such as depression. Acts of petty violence can be rectified through prayer as long as you're truly sorry for your actions. More serious acts of violence: breaking bones; using weapons; rape; murder, those are harder for our Great Lady to forgive, especially if carried out by a member of her clergy. I don't believe there is a record of a Priest or Priestess doing anything like that in cold blood so no one can be certain when the punishment would be. I should think that if it did happen, it would probably result in an expulsion from the Priesthood and therefore a loss of any chance of making it to the Eternal Meadow."

"I see." Harry said quietly.

"Haryon, why have you asked me this?" Sephiran asked the teenager gently.

"Have you heard of the Mirror of Erised?" The boy asked quietly, receiving a nod in confirmation from his teacher. "It's here at Hogwarts; I found it on the evening of Christmas Day. It showed me...It showed me myself, killing Voldemort in a rather...Torturing way."

"And you are worried about what this implies?" The Elf guessed though he phrased it as a question.

"Yes High Priest."

"Haryon, I have known you for a very long time." Sephiran started gently. "I have watched you learn, I've watched you grow. I've seen you making friends so easily and I've seen you deal with bullies, in all shapes and sizes, swiftly, confidently and, most importantly, peacefully. I can tell you in all honesty Haryon, you are the last person I would ever suspect in a murder case even if all evidence pointed towards you. You are not a boy to hurt anyone, even in self defense."

"But the Mirror..." Harry began to argue.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that what you saw in the Mirror should not be taken at face value? When you think of Voldemort, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?" The man asked softly.

"Evil." The boy whispered sadly.

"Exactly, and it is because of that very reason that I don't believe that the Mirror of Erised was showing you a deep down desire to hack Voldemort to pieces." Sephiran said with a small smile.

Harry shook his head slightly and frowned. "I don't understand."

"I believe that you subconsciously see Voldemort not as a person, but more of an ideal, as a personification of evil and death. The Mirror could very well have been showing you your desire to protect the ones you love the most from suffering. Everyone you care about and hold dear to you has been affected by the Dark Lord in some way and you care so much for everyone in this world; the Mirror was simply visualising your desire to keep your family and the rest of the world safe, to rid us all of evil."

The dark haired boy looked at his teacher carefully for several moments, not completely sure what to make of what he had just been told. It wasn't what he had expected to hear, far from it, and it confused him greatly. Was it a possibility? It had never occurred to him that the Mirror of Erised could show symbolic images but it did make some sort of sense; after all, what if someone desired something abstract like world peace? When thought about like that, it was very easy to believe that what he had seen had meant to have been symbolic rather than literal. And that was a comforting thought. With that, he could easily make himself believe that he didn't really have a terrible, violent side to himself, it had merely been a symbolic image to express his desire to keep everyone he loved safe and that wasn't bad in the least.

"Thank you High Priest." Harry said eventually, a bright smile lighting up his face as his previous worry melted away from him now that he had the reassurance of someone who not only knew what he was talking about but was also someone who Harry respected greatly.

"You are most welcome Young Haryon." Sephiran smiled back just as the door to the Headmaster's office opened to reveal none other than the Headmaster himself.

"I'm sorry that I have to interrupt your lesson Harry and Sephiran but I'm afraid I have some rather urgent business which requires my immediate attention." The elderly man said as he moved into the room in a manner which was anything by rushed."

"Think nothing of it Headmaster, we were just about finished for the day anyway." The High Priest assured as he stood up straight just as Harry began to put his things away in his bag.

"Splendid then." Dumbledore smiled, coming to a stop beside Harry's small desk. "What is it you were looking at today Harry?" He asked easily, his voice filled with nothing but curiosity.

"Exorcism mainly Sir." Harry answered as he continued to pack his bag and therefore totally missing the odd, knowing look which was shared between Dumbledore and Sephiran.

"We'll be continuing with it in our next lesson if you're interested in sitting in Headmaster." Sephiran offered, his tone completely innocent but there was a look in his eyes which hinted that the question meant something more.

"Maybe, maybe, if the chores of running a school allow me the time." Dumbledore sighed in a light-hearted way.

Harry finally got out of his seat, his bag all packed and slung over his right-hand shoulder. "I'll see you next week then Haryon." Sephiran said to him with a smile.

"Alright." Harry said with a nod. "Good afternoon High Priest, good afternoon Professor Dumbledore." He bid before turning and heading out of the room.

"Good afternoon my dear boy." Dumbledore's voice called out after him as he left the room, shutting the door quietly behind himself.

It was only when Harry was long gone from the Headmaster's office and well on his way to reaching Gryffindor Tower that something occurred to him; Professor Dumbledore had said that there were important matters that he had to deal with right away, and yet High Priest Sephiran had lingered behind.

10th February 1992: Afternoon

"Ooo, bubble powder!" Fred said excitedly as he pulled a box off of the shelf that he was looking at inside Zonko's. George was through the crowds and at his side in an instant where as Harry had already been at his side. He didn't really have enough interest in what was around to go off looking at things on his own and the shop was really too crowded anyway; too easy to get separated.

"Oh, we have to use this on Percy!" George giggled gleefully.

"What does it do?" Harry asked, trying to peer at the box to see if it was written there.

"You mix it with a liquid and when someone drinks it they hiccup bubbles for about an hour." Fred laughed.

"How much is it?" George wondered out-loud as he took the box from his brother to look for a price. "Ooo, bit much."

"You do get twenty sachets though." Fred pointed out. "Please, can we get some? Please?" He pleaded with his twin, resting his head on the other red-head's shoulder and looking up at him with wide eyes. They would need to pull their money together if they were going to be able to afford a box.

"But we still have to go to Honeydukes." George pointed out in a slightly whiney tone.

"I don't mind lending you some money." Harry spoke up, making sure to say "lending" and not "giving"; although it rarely came up, the Weasley twins had somewhat of a raw nerve when it came to money issues.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Fred checked.

"We could probably pay you back next month when Mum sends us our monthly pocket money." George assured as if he was trying to persuade Harry to lend them some money rather than the dark haired boy having already offered.

"Sure, whenever's good for you." Harry told them easily with his usual happy smile.

"Wicked." Fred grinned happily.

"We'll buy this then and we'll sort out the money when we get to Honeydukes." George planned.

"Sure thing." Harry agreed before glancing around himself. "I'm gonna go wait outside; it's a bit too crowded in here for me."

"See you in a minute or two then." Fred told him before he was pulled into the crowd by George.

Harry carefully made his way out of the shop, apologising to anyone he bumped into even if it hadn't actually been his fault. When he finally managed to make it out of the door, the cold air of outside hit him immediately, cooling any patch of bare skin instantly. A shiver shook his body and he quickly fished his gloves out of one of the pockets of his robes where he had left them upon entering Zonko's. He managed to get them pretty quickly and then quickly wrapped his arms around himself, pulling his cloak closer to his body in an attempt to retain more of his body heat.

Feeling lazy, Harry slouched back against the wall of Zonko's and began waiting for his two friends to come out. He tilted his head back slightly and peered up at the cloudy, miserable looking sky. The weather was still rather wet and drizzly but it wasn't raining at the particular moment. It was cold though, hence the need for the gloves and the thick winter cloak. Harry didn't mind though, he quite liked winter. His favourite season was the spring but he didn't mind winter.

There were Hogwarts students absolutely everywhere you looked, the younger ones rushing about, hyper from their excitement, and the older ones strolling along in a much more sedate manner, quite a few of them holding hands with someone else, no doubt on dates. If you looked carefully, you could also catch a glimpse of a teacher milling around every so often as well. Harry wasn't sure if they were actually supposed to be there to chaperon them all or whether they were simply there to enjoy the moment of free time just as the students did. He supposed it didn't really matter whether they were there to look after the students or not; if something did happen, a teacher wasn't exactly going to turn around and say it wasn't their problem were they?

A sudden burning began to radiate from Harry's scar abruptly, making all his thoughts stop in an instant. Without thinking why, his head snapped to the right and, a few feet away, there was Professor Quirrel. That was when the burn increased into a pain and a small whimper escaped the dark haired boy's lips as he legs buckled beneath him and his hands flew up to his head. His eyes stayed on Professor Quirrel though as his mind began to quickly reason everything out.

Last time this had happened, right at the beginning of the school year, it had been when he had looked the latest DADA professor in the eye and this time it was the same. Was it coincidence? Surely such a strange and sudden affect couldn't be a mere coincidence. And it obviously affected the man as well because his eyes had noticeably widened and he looked suddenly scared. Within a few seconds, which felt like hours, they both looked away from each other at the same time. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the professor hurry away, a hand clutched against his forehead, as he, himself, struggled to not fall to his knees.

It made no sense. Why did looking Professor Quirrel in the eye affect them both so much? Harry suddenly realised that the professor always seemed reluctant to look at him, never looking straight at him when asking a question in class or when Harry gave him an answer. Could this be why? Was Quirrel aware of it too? That would explain why the man seemed to be so nervous around him but it still didn't explain why it was happening...

"Harry!"

Suddenly, Harry felt arms come around him and he was hoisted back onto his feet properly. He opened his eyes to find Fred and George now either side of him, gazing at him with concern shining in their eyes.

"What's wrong?" Harry was pretty sure that was Fred who just spoke.

"Nothing, it's nothing, just a bit of a headache." He assured his two friends, trying to pull away and stand on his own.

"Just a bit of a headache?" George echoed sceptically. "If just a bit of a headache makes you look like that, I dread to think what a full on one would do to you."

"Honestly, I'm fine, it was nothing." Harry tried again.

"Maybe we should take him back to Hogwarts?" Fred said to his brother, totally ignoring what Harry had just said.

"I said I'm fine!" The dark haired boy insisted, succeeding in breaking out of the hold of the twins, effectively drawing their full attention to him again. "Look, you see, nothing's wrong. Now, let's go to Honeydukes yeah? I promised you both some sweets and I'm sticking to it."

"Are you sure you're up for it?" George checked carefully, his eyes flickering over Harry's body as though the cause for the boy's headache was going to be obvious and somewhere on him.

"Positive." Harry said with a smile.

"All right then." Fred sighed. "You tell us the second you feel ill again though." He ordered with a frown.

"Of course." Harry agreed, pretty sure that it wasn't going to happen again now that Professor Quirrel had scuttled off somewhere.

"Fine, c'mon then." Fred instructed with an inclination of his head. George and Harry shared a very brief look before coming up to either side of Fred. Like that, they started forward, on their way to Honeydukes.

25th March 1992: Midday

It was a strange sight, a very strange sight. Almost everyone in the History of Magic lesson which was currently being held were all paying complete attention to what Professor Binns was saying. It really was the most extraordinary thing! The reason for it was actually quite simple though; today was the day that the Third Years got to use blood-line parchment to trace back their family history. That was also the reason why three boys in the class were bored out of their mind.

"I don't see why we have to be in here." Fred muttered to his twin brother and Harry quietly from where they were sitting near the back in a corner. "We've already got two of these at home from when Charlie and Percy did 'em the first year they were legal. There's no point in us doing them, they'll be exactly the same as the other two!"

"Yeah, should've given us the lesson off really." George agreed through a small yawn which he covered with his hand.

"Nah, they'd just stick us in some other classroom and make us do work; that's what my father offered me anyway. It's better to be in here and be able to chat quietly." Harry murmured back from where he was half slumped over the desk.

"At least they're not making you do it." Fred pointed out.

"Yeah, we're going to have to suffer needlessly here. Pricking our poor fingers and then writing a pointless essay of stuff we already know." George grumbled and Harry couldn't hold his grin back.

This lesson had brought back up the issue which first came about in the summer of Harry's eleventh birthday: did he want to know who his biological family were? And the answer hadn't changed since all those years ago. He didn't want to know them, he didn't even want to know of them. Why should he? After all, they didn't want to know him. They left him in an alleyway when he was a few hours old, they didn't even give him a chance. That was fine though because his life was so much better with his father and his godfather and Draco.

Was he curious about his ancestors? He couldn't deny that he was, just a little, but it was nothing desperate and definitely not enough to justify up-heaving his life and the life of his family. No, Harry knew who he was and he had a family. He was completely happy with things the way they were.

26th May 1992: Night

It was dark. It was silent. It was warm. It was so damn, bloody boring!

Harry released an annoyed huff as he flung himself onto his back to glare up at the dark canopy above his bed. He couldn't sleep and he didn't know why. He was just tossing and turning and getting frustrated and over-heated. Oh yeah, and bored; can't forget that he was bored out of his mind.

Another annoyed huff later and Harry was sitting up in his bed and kicking his sheets and duvet off of him. He didn't care what time it was or how much trouble he might get into if he was caught, he was going down to the kitchen for a glass of water. He refused to stay in his bed any longer and he was restless, he needed to move around, stretch his legs, tire himself out.

Sliding off of his bed and grabbing his glasses as he did so, Harry trudged over to his trunk and lifted the top before getting onto his knees and starting to rummage around inside it in search for the Marauder's Map which was buried somewhere underneath his clothes and school books. Although the Map was technically Fred and George's as they were the ones that had found it, they made Harry keep it in his trunk just in case theirs' was ever searched for some reason. Harry, hardly even getting in trouble, was the least suspicious of the three of them and so, common sense said, was the least likely to be accused of something and searched because of it. As payment, they had given him permission to use it any time he wanted, something which came in very handy the year before when he was talking to his snake chums who he had since stopped seeing since the whole bite incident.

Harry eventually found the bare piece of worn parchment half sticking out of his Care of Magical Creatures book which was odd as he didn't remember leaving it anywhere near the book. He figured the twins must have had it out at some point since he last checked; they did have his permission to go into his trunk without his direct say so just as long they were only going in there for the Map and not to just have a nose. As far as he was concerned, the twins had been nothing but respectful of that.

He closed the trunk again after he had pulled out the piece of parchment and his wand which he kept in his trunk when it wasn't in the pocket of his school robe. After turning the Map the right way up, he laid it on the top of his trunk and smoothed it out a couple of time. Then, he raised his wand a little. "Lumos." He whispered with a small flick of his wrist and a soft silver glow instantly lit the tip of his wand. He brought it down to point at the map in front of him, lightly rested on the parchment. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." Slowly, the image of Hogwarts seeped through the parchment.

He glanced over it all briefly, noticing that Draco was in a room with Bethany Zabini and someone named Adrian Spari and they were all positioned very close together. He quickly dismissed the possibilities that threw to mind, (it was none of his business after all) and allowed his eyes to wander around the rest of the map. His gaze stopped abruptly when it came to rest on the three names which were currently in the common room apparently: Hermione Granger; Ron Weasley and Johnathan Potter. A slight frown made its way onto Harry's face; what were those three doing down in the common room at this time of night?

Well, with Potter there, he doubted he'd be able to get out of the common room in order to go to the kitchens. He just knew the brat wouldn't hesitate to tell Professor McGonagall that he was up and about after curfew and come up with a suitable excuse as to why he was up as well. But that didn't mean he couldn't be nosey and listen in to what they were saying. He might even learn something he could pass on to Fred and George; he might not be allowed to do anything to Potter but he wasn't against Fred and George doing something to him.

Slowly and carefully so as not to wake up anyone else in the room, Harry snuffed out the light on the tip of his wand with a whispered "Nox" before moving across the room and leaving it silently. There was a faint, orange glow coming up the stairs, no doubt from the common room, so he could see where he was going and wasn't going to run the risk of missing a steps and falling the rest of the way down the stairs. He padded down the stairs with bare feet at a fair pace and so it wasn't too long before he heard Potter's voice coming up from the room below:

"...But he's weak, he's living off the unicorns and their blood." The boy finished saying as Harry came to a stop several steps away from the end of the stairs. He pressed himself up against the wall just in case one of them turned in his direction. In his new position, he wouldn't be easily spotted; he may not even be visible to the three First Years from where they were sitting.

"And you're sure it was Voldemort?" Hermione asked and Harry's eyes grew wide suddenly; Potter had met Voldemort? Voldemort was around for Potter to meet?

"That's what the Centaur told me and if anyone would know I'd think he would." Potter replied.

"Yes, Centaurs are very intelligent." Hermione's voice murmured and did nothing for Harry confidence in this situation. If a Centaur had told Potter that he had met Voldemort then surely the boy had, indeed, met Voldemort. But how could the man be back? He had died...Hadn't he?

"That must be why Snape's trying to get the Philosopher's Stone; he's stealing it for Voldemort." Potter told his two friends and Harry frowned, partly at the information on the Philosopher's Stone and partly because of the insult towards his father; he thought the three of them had given up on accusing his father of such ridiculous things after that time he yelled at them after his first Quidditch match. "With the Stone, Voldemort will have access to the Elixir of Life. He'll...He'll come back." The sound of someone sitting down heavily came then along with a short pause.

"If he does come back, you don't think he'll try..." Ron hesitated nervously. "You don't think he'll try and kill you, do you?"

"I think he would've killed me tonight if he had got the chance." Potter replied seriously and Harry had to fight to hold in his snort; yeah, that brat wished that Voldemort was interested enough in him to want to kill him in particular.

"Bloody Hell; and to think, I've been worried about my Potions final." Ron mumbled, slumping back against the back of the sofa he sat on.

"Hold on a second," Hermione put in, sounding her usual authoritarian self. "We're forgetting something here." A pause. "John, who's the one wizard who the Dark Lord's always been afraid of?" Another pause. "Dumbledore!" She told them, her tone more than a little exasperated. "As long as Dumbledore's here, the Dark Lord can't even hope of getting inside Hogwarts' walls. As long as Dumbledore's here John, you can't be touched."

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. This was a perfect example of pre-teens getting ideas above their station. Voldemort after them indeed! Who did they think they were exactly? They put far too much importance in themselves. And why did they even want Voldemort to be after them? It wasn't exactly fun! And he would know, it had happened to him after all. But there was a question niggling at the back of his mind now; now that Voldemort was apparently back somehow, was he going to try and come for him again?

Suddenly, Harry no longer felt any desire to have a walk about the school on his own. All he wanted to do was go back to bed and pretend he didn't exist.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

4th June 1992: Early Morning

Fire: heat; light; the scent of burning. He was standing in the centre of it all, darkness all around. It was just Him, surrounded by a ring of fire.

"Kill him!"

He spun around just in time to see someone, a man, stagger towards Him. A gasp escaped Him seconds before hands wrapped around His throat tightly, effectively cutting off His breathing, His windpipe squeezed together painfully. His eyes were open, but there was nothing definite in front of Him. He could feel the hands, He could see that hands and the arms which continued on but that was it. The arms faded away at the elbows, into nothingness. In His own hand, He was holding a lump of something which was hard and pointy.

Panic surged through Him as everything started getting faint and a ringing started in His ears. As everything around started to fade away, what looked like a mirror caught His attention from somewhere at the side. His gaze wandered over to it and if He could've breathed, He would have gasped.

Staring back at Him was the face of Johnathan Potter.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry gave a small cry as he shot up in bed, breathing heavily and his eyes opened wide. That dream he'd just had, it had been so real, like it was one of his visions. The dorm room around him was eerily quiet, the only sound coming from him breathing and from outside, where it was raining.

His eyes widened with the realisation that it was raining and he scrambled out of his bed, getting terribly tangled in his sheets as he did. He finally managed to get up though and after grabbing his glasses, he dashed to his window as he struggled to get the eye-wear on in his rush. When he reached the window, he grabbed the corner of the wall beside it in order to stop himself from carrying on too far or falling over. Seconds later, the window had been flung open and green eyes stared outside in horror. The rain was black again! And after what he had heard Potter say the other night...

Without closing the window or even thinking enough to grab his wand, Harry sprinted out of the dark room, not at all quietly, grabbing his dressing gown as he passed where it was laying at the foot of his bed. He ran down the stairs two at a time as he pulled on the thick dressing gown, not actually knowing what he was planning to do. What could he do? Black rain might mean Voldemort or it might not. It also might not mean Voldemort was a threat right away but Harry was hardly thinking straight. The dream he'd just seen had put him on edge anyway and he was simply acting on reaction and instinct.

Half-way down the stairs, Harry looked up into the common room, taking his eyes off of his feet which he had been watching to make sure he didn't miss a step and fall and break his neck. What he saw was a faintly lit, by a left-to-burn candle, common room which was completely empty...Except for the body which was just laying on the floor next to an arm chair.

"Neville!" Harry gasped in horror, recognising the face of the body.

He jumped the last couple of steps and dashed over to the boy. Dropping to his knees upon reaching Neville's side, he quickly reached for his neck to try and find his pulse. It took him a second or two to actually find the right spot but he did, indeed, manage it and was relieved to feel the pulse beating as strong as ever. What was wrong with the boy then? It occurred to him that the boy's limbs looked strangely rigid. Frowning lightly in confusion, Harry tried to bend Neville's arm only to find it as stiff as stone. More quick thinking led him to the conclusion that someone had obviously petrified the First Year Gryffindor.

Thinking on his feet, he brought his hands up to his neck and pulled off his pendant. "Eteleht(1)." He said quickly and within seconds he was holding his staff. "Elessa(2)." He breathed, trying to relax and concentrate at the same time. It seemed to work as a green pool of light spread out underneath the prone body in front of him and several orbs of green light rose from the pool, fading away well before they reached the ceiling. After a few seconds of that, Neville released what sounded like the rest of a gasp and he instantly sat up just as the light faded. "Neville, who did this to you?" Harry asked quickly, getting down on one knee so he was closer to the boy's seated height.

"Hermione." Neville told him in a panicked tone. Harry frowned slightly at that, not quite believing it. "The three of them, they've gone out somewhere. I tried to stop them but then they did that to me..."

"Oh Havanack..." Harry breathed in dread.

The dream he just had, it was about to happen, he just knew it. Thinking back very quickly, he remembered the various snippets of information he had got from the three First Years: they thought Severus was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone for Voldemort but that was okay because Dumbledore was still around; Dumbledore left the school this morning; they had no doubt gone to protect the Stone. But where was the Stone? And that's when the conversation he had with the three the afternoon after his first Quidditch match. On the third floor, there was a trap door guarded by what sounded like a Cerberus. That had to be it; that's where they were going!

"Neville, I'm going after them. I want you to go and get a teacher, any teacher will do." He told the timid boy quickly, his tone rushed and serious. "Tell them what's happened no matter what, don't let them send you away. Just say that we've gone after the Philosopher's Stone, that should be enough, okay?" Neville could only nod. "Good boy." Harry said before jumping to his feet and dashing over to the portrait hole. There was no time to go back upstairs and grab his wand; he'd have to make do with his staff.

He all but flew to the third floor for all the time that his feet spent on the floor he was running so fast. He needed to go and save Potter before his dream came true because it was going to, he could feel it in his soul and, although he might not like the brat, he didn't want to see him die or have his death on his conscience. Soon, he was on the third floor but he had no idea if he was in the right section of the third floor. He didn't stop or slow down, he couldn't afford to, but he did wonder if he was going the right way. However, when he reached a door at the end of the corridor he was in and opened it to be confronted with massive, gnashing jaws, he was pretty certain that he was in the right place.

Harry staggered back awkwardly, only just managing to avoid getting his head bitten off as the black Cerberus lurched towards him, its jaws clenching together mere centimetres away from his chest. After mentally scanning his memory to come up with a suitable spell which would make sure the giant dog stopped being a threat but didn't hurt him, Harry raised his staff and pointed it towards the dog slightly.

"L'ore(3)." He said in a mere whisper, remembering that this particular spell was supposed to be spoken quietly. A shower of multi-coloured lights began to rain down on the Cerberus, settling on all of its three heads making each one shine and glitter. It took quite a lot of effort on Harry's part but eventually the Cerberus began to show signs that it was falling asleep.

Taking the chance, Harry ducked into the room quickly while the creature was still conscious; he was reluctant to spare the time to wait for it to fall asleep completely. Luckily, the trapdoor had been ripped off of its hinges, no doubt when the creature had tried to go after the three First Years he was trailing, so he could just jump down into the hole before the sleepy Cerberus could even fully realise that Harry had dodged past him. As Harry fell into the darkness beneath the trapdoor, he wondered how on Earth three First Years had managed to get past a fully grown Cerberus like that.

Harry landed with a small grunt of discomfort on something hard and viney. He frowned lightly and looked to see what was beneath him only to see black vines were starting to creep around his waist, legs and arms. With a jerk of his right hand, he pulled away from the vine which had been trying to curl around his wrist in order to protect his staff and he was slightly surprised when the vines around his waist and legs squeezed him in reply. It did a little more than startle him, especially when he felt a vine wrap itself around his neck too. Trying his best not to panic, he tried to remember his Herbology lessons in an attempt to identify what it was he was stuck in.

It took him several seconds to remember but he finally decided that what he was trapped in was most probably Devil's Snare. Luckily, along with that conclusion, the method of getting rid of the horrible plant came to him as well. He hesitated a moment, wondering if the Vow of Pacifism stretched to plants as well but in the end he decided that even if attacking the plant did break the Vow, (though he doubted it did) he had no other choice. No way in Hell was he going to get himself to calm down in such a situation.

"Cal(4)!" He called as he thrust his staff into the air somewhat awkwardly. Bright, white light gathered in a small pool above the pearl on top of the staff. After it had grown to about the size of a dinner plate, the light formed into droplets and fell onto several areas of the Devil's Snare which had Harry trapped. The black vines instantly withered and a few seconds later Harry had fallen through the layer, landing on the stone floor below with a thump. He didn't allow himself to recover from the pain before he was back on his feet and dashing off once again.

Harry passed through an odd room with an impossibly high ceiling and the door which led out was strangely studded with dozens of keys that had wings attached them, the wings still twitching every so often. He did hesitate before trying the door because of them, wary that they might suddenly pull free and attack him. Thankfully, nothing happened when he touched the door however and he was free to pull it open and pass through it without trouble.

Continuing on, the next room of worthy of note that he passed through was actually more like a hall, the size of it. And it was in complete ruin. There were huge chunks of broken rock everywhere and there were thin clouds of dust drifting around in some places. It occurred to Harry that the ruins looked a lot like the remnants of statues and the few stone pedestals dotted around lent strength to that thought. It was as he was scanning his surroundings curiously, having stopped momentarily to check for anything dangerous, that he caught sight of the kneeling figure of Hermione. He started over to her in a slow jog until he noticed that Ron was laying at her knees, not moving. That was when he picked up his pace again.

"Are you both all right?" He asked as he neared them, dropping to his knees heavily beside Ron the moment he was close enough to him.

"I think he must've hit his head." Hermione told him quickly as Harry began to look Ron over without touching him. Upon hearing that though, he gently turned Ron's head to the side with his free hand to check the back of it and was reassured to find no blood. After guiding his back into its original position, Harry pressed two fingers to Ron's neck, checking the pulse. It was there and strong.

"Where's Potter?" Harry asked quickly once he was certain that Ron was relatively fine.

"He went on ahead." Hermione answered quietly.

"Alright. You stay here, help should be coming soon. I'll go and bring back Potter." Harry told her as he got back onto his feet and sprinted off again.

For a couple of minutes, he could only run as fast as his legs would allow him, desperately trying to catch up with the Gryffindor who was somewhere ahead of him. Then, finally, just as his legs were starting to go wobbly and his lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen, he saw the boy up ahead who was at least doing the smart thing of going on slowly and carefully.

"Potter!" Harry called angrily as he continued to run after the boy who was totally ignoring him. Finally catching up to him, Harry grabbed his shoulder and yanked him around so they were face to face. "Are you deaf or something? Or just too stupid to realise that when someone calls your name it's because they want you to stop?"

"No, I just don't want to talk to a loser like you." The First Year retorted with a glare. "What are you doing down here anyway?

"I'm here to stop you from getting yourself killed! Now c'mon, we're going back." Harry ordered as he tried to pull Potter along with him. The twelve year old wasn't having any of it though and yanked himself out of the older boy's grip. Harry turned to look at the brown eyed boy and glared at him venomously. "Potter, do you want to die? Because if you go any further, I assure you, that's what's going to happen!"

"Spare me the concern Snape, I know what I'm doing." Potter smirked, turning to walk away.

"No, I don't think you do Potter." Harry seethed, struggling to control his temper, as he roughly pulled the First Year back to him by the elbow. "I don't think you have any idea what you're really doing and I don't think you can handle yourself against what's up ahead."

"What do you know? I'll have you know, my father is one of the greatest Aurors there is..." Potter began to brag before Harry cut him off.

"Yes, you're right, as much as I hate to admit it, your father is a great Auror, one of the best in fact; but you are not your father!" He cried, exasperated. "You are a silly little First Year Gryffindor with ideas so far beyond your station that the station looks like a dot to you! You haven't even finished your first year at Hogwarts and you think you can face someone who won't hesitate to kill you on your own? It's completely idiotic! The only thing you've done right this entire night is making Hermione stay behind with Ron though you shouldn't have brought them down here in the first place!"

"Hey, I didn't make them come down with me, they didn't have to!" The boy protested angrily.

"And neither did you now c'mon, we're going back." Harry ordered, once again trying to pull the boy along with him.

"No, I'm not!" Potter yelled, pulling away and running off back down the corridor.

"Potter!" Harry called angrily, immediately starting off after the boy.

Harry followed the younger boy all the way through two corridors before finally catching up when they were getting close to an archway which led into a large chamber. However, before he could yell at the arrogant youth or even properly hold him back, they both froze upon seeing that there was someone already in the room, standing with their back towards them in front of the Mirror of Erised. Both boys immediately recognised the person and their eyes opened in realisation.

"You!" Potter gasped, confused, as he moved down the steps. Harry made sure to keep to his side all the way down, just in case. "No, it can't be you...It was Snape..."

The figure turned around towards them, confirming the identity Harry and Potter had already guessed; Professor Quirrel. "Yes, he does seem the type, doesn't he?" The man asked in such a confident, arrogant tone that it surprised both boys. "And compared to him, who would ever suspect p-poor st-stuttering Pro-professor Qu-quirrel." He said, mimicking his usual voice perfectly, making the two Gryffindors realise the whole thing had been an act.

"But on Hallowe'en, Snape let the troll in." Potter pointed out quickly.

"No, I let the troll in as a distraction so I could go and get the Stone. Unfortunately, I didn't count on Snape figuring me out and heading me off."

"Okay, then what about the Quidditch match? Snape tried to kill him." Potter insisted, pointing to Harry.

"No, you foolish boy, do you really think Snape would try and hurt his precious son in any way? I was the one who tried to kill him. And I would've done it too if I hadn't have lost my eye contact, even with your father muttering his little counter curse." Quirrel sneered to Harry.

"So Snape was actually trying to save him..." Potter murmured and Harry fought the desire to roll his eyes and say "duh".

"Yes, and from then on he never trusted me again. Everywhere I turned he was there, watching me, I was never alone. But, then again, I'm never really alone anyway." Quirrel mumbled cryptically in a rather distant voice.

"Why did you try and kill me?" Harry asked carefully. "I knew nothing about the Philosopher's Stone, I wasn't a threat to you."

"I wanted rid of you to attempt to free myself from such God-forsaken torture!" Quirrel practically spat, sounding suddenly angry and completely back into reality. "I hoped if you were gone, He too would go." He paused and a creepy smile spread across his lips. "But I was foolish then. I've long since seen the correct path; it is an honour to be His host." The last part was spoken in such an accepting, relaxed tone that Harry was starting to seriously wonder about the man's mental health.

"Be whose host?" Harry asked carefully, not taking his eyes off the professor and keeping his staff raised to the man at all times.

"Allow me." A hoarse, hissing voice spoke then and Harry's blood ran cold at the sound.

"But Master, you're not strong enough..." Quirrel tried to reason, his tone returning to more of what the two students were used to.

"Now!" The voice demanded and Quirrel winced as though in pain, seemingly having no choice but to concede. His hand came up to his turban and very slowly began to unfold it. Harry winced as a the uncomfortable burning sensation in his scar returned with a vengeance and his brought his free hand up to fist against it. As the last of the material fell away from the professor's head, what it was originally covering was revealed and both boys gasped in horror and disgust, the burn in Harry's scar fading slightly to a not so intense degree.

"Hello Haryon." The voice of Voldemort hissed as Harry and Potter stared at the strained face attached to the back of Quirrel's head through the Mirror of Erised.

"Merlin..." Potter breathed as Harry only remained silent, not believing what he was seeing.

"Ahh, and this is..." Voldemort left the question hanging for Quirrel, his attention attracted to Potter by the softly spoken word.

"Johnathan Potter." The professor answered.

"Oh I see, son of James Potter no doubt. A most irritating man." The face sneered.

"I thought you said he was living off the unicorns?" Harry hissed to Potter angrily.

"The blood of the unicorns can only sustain my existence; it cannot give my own body. It touches me that you care though Haryon." The parasitic life-form said before Potter could reply, his tone softening near the end, just as Quirrel raised his wand and pointed it at Potter.

"Stupify!" The professor called. The red light flew from the tip of his wand and hit the First Year in the middle of his chest.

"Potter!" Harry gasped as the boy crumpled onto the stairs beside him, a rather nasty smack sound coming as Potter's head hit the stone. He raised his staff in order to revive the stunned First Year but his body froze suddenly and he found that he couldn't move at all.

"Come down here to me Harry." Voldemort encouraged gently and Harry moved forward accordingly even though he wanted nothing more than to run away.

With awkward, jerky steps, Harry made his way down the stone stairs and over to where Quirrel stood in front of the Mirror of Erised. He came to a stop in front of the man who looked down at him neutrally. Then, the professor turned around, so he was facing away from Harry but Voldemort was facing him. Harry's body still wasn't his to control yet so he could do nothing to try and get away; he was stuck there for Voldemort to do whatever he wished.

"Oh, look at you. You've grown so much since I last saw you; such a beautiful young man. And you let your hair grow." Voldemort sighed happily as Quirrel stepped backwards, closer to Harry so the face could be closer to the Third Year. Reluctant to let the face get to close, Harry pulled away slightly, his eyes screwing shut tightly to block out the awful sight in front of him. Voldemort seemed to mistake the reaction for fear however. "Don't be afraid my love, I'm not going to hurt you. I don't blame you for what happened. In fact, I'm glad it happened; I'd rather lose my body than lose you." Harry had to consciously stop himself from flinching away from how close Voldemort's face was to his. "And now that I have you back, I think it's time I got my body back too. Help me do that Harry, show me where the Philosopher's Stone is, I know you know where it is."

Quirrel stepped aside then and Harry was able to see himself in the Mirror of Erised. He quickly looked away though, not wanting to see himself murder Voldemort again. Now that Voldemort was back, it was once again an actual possibility, especially if the evil man got his own body back. But if he could get the Philosopher's Stone before Voldemort, he could protect it and get it to Dumbledore. Then the temptation wouldn't be an issue because Voldemort would still be a part of Quirrel. But, despite what Voldemort obviously thought, he didn't even know where the Stone was and he didn't know where to start looking.

Flickering his eyes to the Mirror, Harry figured he should at least make it look like he was trying to help the evil man, even if he wasn't entirely sure what good looking into the Mirror of Erised would do. Surprise filled him when the him in the Mirror didn't start killing a Voldemort though. Instead, the him in the Mirror reached down to the pocket of his dressing gown, slipping inside gently. Then, when the hand was pulled back out, the Harry in the Mirror was holding a red stone. The real Harry's eyes widened as he moved his hand to the pocket of his dressing gown and felt that there was something suddenly in his pocket. His gaze moved up to look his reflection in the eye and the Mirror Harry grinned at him and gave him a wink before replacing what was probably the Philosopher's Stone.

"So? Tell me what you see." Voldemort ordered gently though there was a definite hint of impatience there which made Harry rather nervous.

"I..." He hesitated, desperately trying to come up with something he could see; anything at all. "I'm Head Boy and...I've just won the House Cup." Okay, maybe he could've tried to think of something a little better than that.

"Don't lie to me Harry." Voldemort warned in a harsh tone which made Harry want to cringe.

"I'm not lying." He tried weakly, not having much hope that it would work as a plausible comment.

"Yes you are, because we both know that what I'm looking for is in your pocket." The face hissed angrily.

Harry's eyes widened, surprised that Voldemort actually knew. What was the point in getting Harry to tell him if he already knew? It didn't really matter he supposed, but it meant he couldn't buy himself any more time. If he wanted to stop Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone, he had to get away from him right away. So, once again without a decent plan, the dark haired boy turned and sprinted back towards the archway which led out of the chamber.

"Stop him!" Voldemort ordered Quirrel and seconds later, fire had roared to life all around him, blocking his exit.

Before Harry could turn back to face the possessed teacher, he heard a call of "Stupify". He quickly spun around, raising his staff in front of him as he did so. "Beria(5)!" He called quickly and the usual shielding dome of light covered him quickly, effectively stopping the spell which Quirrel had sent speeding towards him.

"Haryon, stop this!" Voldemort ordered angrily as Professor Quirrel started forward, towards him.

"Professor, you can't be happy like this!" Harry said desperately to Professor Quirrel, ignoring Voldemort completely. He had no idea where he was going with this, as far as he was concerned he was totally winging it. "To have to live like this, to suffer pain whenever you do something that Voldemort doesn't like..."

"Because of you!" Quirrel insisted, his tone of voice a little higher than normal. "Every time my Master has punished me is because of you. I admit that the punishment for trying to kill you was deserved, but only because I was trying to free myself. I don't deserve the punishment just because I make you hurt!"

"You forget your place Quirrel!" Voldemort hissed venomously just as the man gave a pained cry and crumbled to his knees, clutching his head desperately.

"Please Professor, we can help you!" Harry called over the man's cries, desperate to get the man to listen to him. "You don't have to be a slave to Voldemort anymore. We can exorcise him; I can exorcise him." At least, he hoped he could. He knew the theory behind such exorcism but he had never practiced it before.

"No, no one can help me." Quirrel sobbed but there was a hint of something in his tone which gave Harry hope that there was still a chance to convince him.

"Yes, we can, I can. I can do it right now, but you need to want me to. I can't dispel him if you don't help me." Harry told him quickly.

"No, no one's strong enough, he's too strong, he won't leave." Quirrel mumbled, sounding half crazed and Harry wondered what the man's life was going to be like if Voldemort ever did leave him.

"We're strong enough Professor; you and I, if we work together." Harry assured, only half sure he was telling the truth.

"Be silent!" Voldemort spat and it was unclear who he was speaking to. He may even have been talking to the both of them.

"C'mon Professor, be strong, we can do it, I promise we can." Harry insisted.

Quirrel looked up from his position on his knees and caught Harry's eye with his own tortured gaze. Pain lanced through the both of them then and Harry winced at the sensation, his eyes shutting of their own accord. Luckily, that cut the worse of the pain off for him but Quirrel wasn't so lucky. He cried out in agony as the spirit possessing him sent jolts of punishing pain through him.

"How many times have I told you Quirrel? You do not look at Harry, you do not cause him pain!" Voldemort hissed angrily, sounding not the least but sympathetic.

"I'm sorry Master, I'm sorry!" Quirrel cried, his hands gripping his head tightly.

"Professor." Harry said softly in a moment of quiet, deciding to go for another approach with the traumatised man. The professor didn't look up at him and Harry could only assume he had the man's attention. "I know you're scared Sir but I can make Voldemort go away, I can stop the pain."

For several seconds there was nothing but Quirrel's laboured breathing. Harry allowed his shield to fade as it was clear the man was in no condition to attack him any time soon and he would need all the energy he could muster if he was going to try this crazy idea of his to exorcise Voldemort. That is, if the man agreed to it. From where he was curled up on the floor, looking rather sorry, Harry couldn't help but wonder if the man wasn't too broken to accept help.

But then, Harry heard it. A very soft whimper before Quirrel managed to say just one very small, softly spoken word: "Please..."

"You traitor!" Voldemort howled angrily seconds before the professor released a bone-chilling cry as he was punished for his disobedience. But it was hope for Harry because it meant Quirrel wanted Voldemort gone, it meant that it would make it easier to expel the spirit.

Raising his staff again and tipping it in the direction of the writhing man, Harry's eyes closed in concentration once again as he began to chant in a raised voice, trying to be heard over the man's screams: "Aku Ryu Tai San(5)!"

A large pool of blinding white light spread out around Professor Quirrel so that he was in the very centre of the circle. Beams of light rose up from the pool, surrounding the tortured man and cutting the sight of him off from Harry mostly. The man's out-line could still be made out through the wall of light but no details were visible.

Harry tried his best to block out the man's screaming and could only hope to his Goddess that he was doing everything right. He couldn't remember High Priest Sephiran mentioning a lot of pain for the person being exorcised but this was exorcising the spirit of Voldemort from someone; anything involving Voldemort had to be painful. As Professor Quirrel's screaming started to fade away, Harry desperately wanted to open his eyes to make sure the man was all right but he was scared that doing so would shatter his concentration. It didn't take long for his insatiable curiosity to win out however and, in one quick go, eye-lids flew open and green eyes landed on the sight of the bright light in front of them.

He instantly noticed that Quirrel was still moving, so that was a good sign, and he also noticed that just above the form of the man was something black which was floating around inside the prison of light. That was it! That black thing was the spirit of Voldemort, it had to be! He had been taught, in detail, by High Priest Sephiran, about the theory of exorcism and he was sure that the way to know that an exorcism had been successful without taking off the spell was to search for a black form somewhere inside the light. And there it was, hovering around, looking like it was trying to get out of the prison. Now, if Harry could just keep the spell going long enough for help to come then someone more experienced could finish Voldemort off because, as much as he knew about the process, he wasn't completely sure on what you were supposed to do with the exorcised spirit once it was out of the possessed person's body.

Unfortunately, to ask such a thing of someone so young and on their first attempt at doing something like that was ridiculously impractical. A mere few minutes had passed before Harry started to feel the spell slipping away from him, his concentration and his energy fast running out. It only took a single second for the spell to shatter completely, a gasp of relief forcing its way out of Harry despite the fact he felt anything but relief. Voldemort's spirit was free now. He didn't have a body and the spell should have weakened him enough to not be able to take another's body for quite a while, but he was still loose and he still existed.

Harry leaned on his staff heavily, his muscles sapped of most of their strength. He looked up to check on the DADA professor's condition but when his eyes rose, he came face to face with the eerie features of Voldemort, just about visible in the mass of black which was the man's soul. The spirit of the evil man didn't hover by his face for long before it swept forward, moving straight through Harry. The terrible, cold feeling of complete wrongness chilled his entire body and in his already weakened state it was more than enough to sap the last of his strength which was keeping him conscious.

With a shuddered breath, Harry's heavy eye-lids slid shut and he fell forward, his staff slipping out of his limp fingers and falling with him. He didn't even feel the arms which caught him before he hit the hard ground at the bottom of the stone steps.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

8th June 1992: Midday

Clear drops of rain pattered onto the enchanted window Harry stood in front of inside his father's bedroom. It was rather sunny outside though and there would no doubt be a rainbow in the sky soon. That thought made Harry smile slightly, making him forget about his various aches and pains and what had happened to him.

He had woken in Severus' bedroom, completely on his own, a few minutes ago. His right wrist was in a cast and was obviously broken and there was a bandage around his head but other than that he was fine; wasn't even particularly tired. His hair had been taken out of its braid and so was left to hang loose down his back, the curled ends brushing against the backs of his knees and he had also noted that although he was still wearing pyjamas, they weren't the pyjamas he had been wearing when he had faced Voldemort which was odd. After several minutes of laying in bed and thinking, general curiosity had caused him to get out of bed to see what it was like outside and he had been standing at that window with the enchanted view of what was actually outside ever since.

Watching the clear rain was reassuring. Clear rain meant nothing was happening, clear rain meant everything was all right. And the sight also distracted him from thinking of the various possibilities of the results of what had happened with Voldemort, like what had happened to Professor Quirrel and how long he'd been asleep for.

With a sigh, Harry pushed himself away from the window and faced the rest of the bedroom for a few seconds before stepping away from the window, towards the door which led straight into the sitting room. He pushed the door open easily and was more than a little surprised to see that there was a huge pile of gifts and cards beside one of the arm chairs in front of the fire place, the bright colours standing out clearly in the rather dark living space. Then, something else surprised him even more; sitting on the sofa in front of the fire-place was none other than his godfather, apparently totally absorbed in the book he was reading.

"Uncle Lucius?" Harry said in a slightly confused tone.

The soft greeting was enough to catch the blonde man's attention as his gaze lifted from his book instantly and he raised his head to look over to where Harry was still standing in the doorway into Severus' bedroom. "Good to see that you're finally awake, though I don't think you should be walking about." He said calmly, a slightly scolding glint in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked quietly as he hastened to sit down beside the man, in order to get off his feet as, basically, instructed.

"Your father needed to return to classes so I volunteered to stay here while he's teaching in case you woke up. I believe he has a meeting with Dumbledore today as well." Lucius explained as he marked his page in his book and put it to the side. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Harry assured him with a small smile. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About four days. Your High Priest said it was most probably because you used a lot of energy to protect yourself and perform the exorcism." As Lucius told him that, Harry realised that his staff had been returned to its pendant form and was hanging quite happily on its chain around his neck, no doubt thanks to High Priest Sephiran.

"How's Professor Quirrel?" The dark haired boy inquired nervously, not sure he really wanted to know. The look on his godfather's face seconds later was enough to tell him everything he needed to know. "He didn't survive the exorcism, did he?"

"No, he did." Lucius assured, his tone impressed, clearly indicating that he thought it was quite an achievement that the man had in fact survived. "In fact, it was him that caught you as you fell unconscious and stopped you getting more hurt than you already were. But he couldn't live with what had happened. The morning after he had been released from the Infirmary he was found dead in his quarters; he'd hung himself."

Harry nodded stiffly, feeling nothing more than a deep regret which clenched at his heart. Maybe if he hadn't already been expecting news of such a nature he would have felt worse but as it was, he could muster nothing more than regret. He gave a soft sigh and bowed his head slightly. Just as he was about to lift his head again, he was more than a little shocked to feel his godfather wrap an arm around his shoulders in a supportive hold. The gesture of affection startled Harry more than a little so for a few moments he could nothing but stare down at his hands which were folded neatly on his lap. Then, eventually, he pulled himself together enough to respond to the embrace. He leaned into it carefully, resting his head on Lucius' shoulder.

"It's not your fault Haryon, you do know that, right?" The blonde aristocrat murmured gently, his cheek coming to rest on top of his godson's head.

"Yeah, I know." The dark haired boy replied quietly, mostly agreeing that it wasn't his fault. Yet, there was still a part of him that blamed himself. Maybe he shouldn't have tried the exorcism and instead waited for help to come instead of trying to do it all himself. Maybe he should have insisted harder with Potter and made the stupid little sod go back to Ron and Hermione with him instead of letting him run off...Wait a minute..."Potter..." Harry breathed, remembering that the last time he had seen the First Year, the boy had been under the affects of a Stupefy.

"He's, unfortunately, completely fine. As are the other two who were down there with you." Lucius assured him gently.

"Good." Harry sighed, glad that at least those three had come out of this pretty much intact.

For another few minutes, Harry and Lucius remained on the sofa as they were, the blonde's long fingers gently running through the waves of long black hair beneath his cheek. Eventually however, Lucius gave Harry's shoulder a small pat as a sign for the boy to lift his head and untangle himself. He did as he was asked and looked to his godfather curiously as the man got to his feet.

"I best go and tell your father that you're awake; he told me he wanted to know the moment you were. I'm sure he'll be most appreciative of having the excuse to skip his meeting with Dumbledore as well." He said with a small smirk. "You'll be all right on your own?"

"Sure, I can amuse myself with all of this." Harry assured as his eyes flickered over to the pile of cards and sweets.

"Yes, I was rather amused to discover you have a somewhat extensive fan-base here." Lucius said, continuing to smirk. "I'll be back with him in a few minutes." And with that, the blonde man started over to the portrait hole. Harry got down onto his knees beside the gifts and picked up an envelope at random. As he opened it, he was intrigued to hear his godfather's voice again. "And what, pray tell, do you think you're doing here at this time of the day when I know for a fact you have class right now? How many times have Severus and I told you that you can't keep cutting classes to come and see Haryon?"

"I'm sorry Father but I'm not concentrating in lessons anyway." The familiar voice of Draco answered in reply. "I can't stop thinking about him, worrying why he hasn't woken up yet, worrying that he won't wake up at all..."

"You really are far too dramatic Draco." Lucius interrupted him, sounding rather impatient. "You don't need to worry anymore though because he's just woken up."

"Really!"

"For goodness sake Draco, I know these are stressful times but do refrain from such obscene exclamations." Lucius voice scolded.

A pause followed and Harry could just imagine the father and son glaring each other down. Whereas Harry was still quite glad to listen to his father and fully believed that the man truly knew what was best for him, Draco was going through what could only be called teenage rebellion. If he got the chance to contradict Lucius then he would seize it, no matter what the subject was. It clearly annoyed the Malfoy patriarch intensely but that seemed to only make it all the more satisfying for Draco.

"Is he still in bed then?" Draco asked eventually and it was impossible to tell which of the Malfoys had won the glare-off. Harry imagined it must have been Lucius but he knew he could very easily be wrong.

"No, he's on the sofa going through his get-well cards and gifts. Since you're already here you may as well go in and spend some time with him. But I am very tempted to suggest a detention be given to you as punishment for your truancy. As much as you may wish to believe otherwise, you are a fourteen year old boy, not an adult Draco; you would do well to remember it." Lucius hissed to his son angrily before the sound of foot-steps on stone came and slowly faded away into silence.

For another few minutes there was silence and, from where he was sitting on the floor, Harry could see that the portrait hole was still wide open. He was just going to get to his feet and go to his best friend, to see if the blonde teenager was all right when said blonde stepped through the hole, looking more than a little annoyed. However, when he lifted his gaze and it fell onto Harry, the annoyance melted away in an instant and was replaced by relieved happiness.

"You are all right." Draco gasped in relief, as though he had been told that Harry was awake by some unreliable source. The blonde rushed across the room and dropped down next to Harry, his arms coming around the dark haired boy and immediately pulling the smaller form into a close embrace. "You are all right, right? I mean, nothing hurts or anything does it?" He asked suddenly, pulling away just enough to run his gaze over Harry several times. "How's your head? How's your wrist?"

"Draco, I'm fine." Harry reassured him with an amused smile which faded when he caught sight of the blonde's eyes; once again, they looked brighter more than usual and were definitely a shade of silver rather than the usual grey. "Draco?"

"I was so scared I was going to lose you." Draco breathed, his hand coming up to cup Harry's cheek gently. "I saw you laying there, looking so small and beaten and I just wanted to take you away from it all, to take you somewhere warm and safe where no one would ever be able to find you."

Harry blinked at his best friend a couple of times before giving him a rather confused and unsure smile. "O...Kay. Thanks...I think." He said uncertainly but his tone or expression seemed to have no impact on Draco as the blonde simply continued to gaze into Harry's eyes.

As they continued to stare at each other, Harry got the distinct impression that he was missing something. The way Draco was looking at him was anything but brotherly affection. What it actually was he didn't quite know though. The blonde looked as though he was totally out of it, like in some kind of trance. And when the Slytherin leaned forward, his eyes drooping but not shutting completely, Harry leaned backwards to avoid their lips meeting, which they would have if he had've stayed still. He wondered desperately what was wrong with his best friend as Draco continued to lean towards him, obviously intent on kissing him in a not-so-innocent way. Harry was just about to lose the battle as well when the sound of the portrait into the room swinging open reached his ears.

"Haryon?" Severus' voice came and Harry said a silent thank you that he and Draco were hidden from sight by the sofa.

"I'm down here Father." Harry replied quickly as he finally managed to push Draco off of himself and got onto his feet to face his father who was quickly making his way into the room, Lucius not too far behind him. "I was just getting one of the gifts that rolled under the sofa." He lied quickly, knowing he'd need to explain why he'd still been on the floor.

"You shouldn't be crawling around on the floor in your condition." Severus scolded him lightly as he swept Harry up into his arms and held him closely, wrapping him in the folds of his robes as if cocooning him in a safe shell away from the rest of the world. Harry brought his arms up around his father's waist and held him back, resting his cheek against the man's chest comfortably, grateful for the feeling of safety such a position gave him. "Why didn't you get it for him Draco?" The dark man asked the blonde and Harry turned his head to look at his best friend to see that the blonde was staring down at the floor with a slight confused frown on his face.

"I...Don't know." The Slytherin teenager admitted in an uncertain tone, looking as though he was trying desperately to try and figure something out but he wasn't sure what it was he was trying to find out.

Both Severus and Lucius shook their head at the blonde's apparent confusion before turning their attention back onto Harry. "Are you in any pain?" The Potions Master asked his son gently. Harry shook his head slightly in a negative. "Are you sure? I can get you a potion if you are."

"No, really, I'm fine...But I am a little hungry." Harry told them somewhat shyly.

"Well that's hardly surprising as you've been unconscious for the past four days." Lucius pipped up as Severus guided Harry back over to the sofa to sit him down.

"We'll have a house-elf bring us something here, it's near enough lunch time already." The dark man told them all as Harry sat down to be quickly joined by Draco.

As Lucius and Severus took care of ordering lunch with the house-elf, Harry studied the blonde next to him curiously. Draco's eyes were definitely not silver anymore and were the grey that Harry was used to which was odd. He seemed genuinely confused and a puzzled expression still creased his forehead. Gently, playfully, Harry nudged his shoulder against Draco's. That caught the Slytherin's attention and he turned his focus onto Harry. The dark haired boy gave him an encouraging smile which he returned after a few seconds of more confusion. Harry leaned his head down to rest it on Draco's shoulder and the blonde seemed to have to qualms over that as he rested his cheek on top of the head of dark hair, planting a brief kiss on it.

"I'm glad you're okay." Harry heard his best friend murmur into his hair.

Harry didn't reply to that; his smile simply grew a little brighter.

8th June 1992: Afternoon

When the entire Gryffindor common room went silent upon seeing Harry as he stepped through the portrait hole, the dark haired boy fought the desire to cringe in embarrassment. They all stared at him in disbelief and the scrutiny was more than a little uncomfortable for him. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do or say, if anything, because no one was doing anything either, except gaping at him in awe.

After his lunch with his family, they had headed off to see Professor Dumbledore at the Headmaster's insistence. They had chatted about trivial things for a while before the Headmaster had got down to business, explaining to Harry the finer details which he hadn't heard already. The Philosopher's Stone was now destroyed and its owner had enough Elixir of Life to finish off his business was the main thing he had to tell him and the rest was all rather unimportant. When it came to Harry explaining how he had come about going after the three First Year Gryffindors, he told the truth, everything about his dream and the black rain warning him. Dumbledore had questioned him about it a bit before requesting that Harry brought it up with High Priest Sephiran in his next lesson to which Harry agreed despite the fact he saw very little point in doing so.

The whole conversation had lasted a few hours and when he had finally been allowed to leave, Harry had been feeling rather good considering the circumstances and had been looking forward to returning to Gryffindor Tower to see Fred and George again who, unless they had detention, would be out of class by now. Now he was standing there though, with so many Gryffindors just gazing at him, he wanted to run back to his father's rooms and hide.

Laughing coming down the stairs leading down from the dorm rooms broke the silence in the common room and Harry's eyes, as well as those of a few others in the room, flickered over to the stair case. A few seconds later, Fred and George came into view, giggling like there was no tomorrow, their eyes shut and their hands gripping the walls to steady themselves. The silence in the room seemed to register with them however, and their chuckling calmed enough for them to open their eyes and look into their room. Almost immediately, their gazes fell onto where Harry stood.

"Hah!" George called in triumph, surprising everyone except Fred who began to grumble under his breath about something. "I knew it; pay up." He grinned to his twin brother.

"I will next time Mum sends us pocket money." Fred muttered angrily as he left the stairs and made his way over to Harry. Upon reaching the confused dark haired boy, he took his arm and pulled him over to the sofa. "Why couldn't you have woken up yesterday? Or even tomorrow?"

"You bet on when I was going to wake up?" Harry asked, his voice sounding far too loud in the still silent common room.

"Only between the two of us." Fred assured as he made Harry sit down on the sofa which had quickly been abandoned by the two Second Years when they had realised that the Weasley was going to make the dark haired boy sit down on it.

"And only because we had known you'd wake up eventually." George added as he reached the sofa too and that single sentence told Harry more than any other answer could have. "So how are you feeling?" He asked curiously as he inspected the bandage still tied around Harry's head.

"I'm pretty good." Harry assured them, allowing his broken wrist to be lifted and inspected by Fred. "I've taken a potion to numb the pain in my wrist, we're not exactly sure how it managed to get broken. The bandage around my head is to protect my scar; apparently it was bleeding quite a bit when they found me."

"Is it true that you met You-Know-Who again?" An unknown girl asked quietly from where she was sitting at a table over in a corner with a few other girls. The entire common room seemed to be waiting for the answer as well and Harry bit back a small sigh.

"Yeah, it was him." He confirmed, looking down at the corner of the sofa as though it was the most fascinating sight in the world.

The room remained silent though the silence had suddenly become strained. Surprisingly, it was Fred who came to the rescue. He lifted his head and gave the room a pointed look. "Yeah?" He said to them in a stern tone and that seemed to, amazingly, break the mood. The other occupants of the room instantly returned to what they were doing before and a low hum of chatter once again came.

"Thanks." Harry said to his friend with a small smile.

"Don't mention it." Fred said with a small shrug. "People in this school are too nosey for their own good sometimes."

"Is Ron included in that?" Harry asked with a light grin, the serious question in the guise of a light-hearted comment.

"Oh, don't worry about him." George said with a slightly wicked smirk.

"Mum'll sort him out when we get home." Fred added with an exact copy of George's grin on his face. Then, at exactly the same times, the smirks faded and the two twins gave their friend a serious look. "Thanks for what you did Harry."

"Yeah, you might not have managed to get to Ron before he got hurt but you made sure that nothing else could happen to him. We owe you one." George continued.

"Oh, don't be silly, you don't owe me anything." Harry dismissed easily with a small wave of his hand. "I'm just glad I was able to get to Potter before he got himself killed."

"Would he have been killed?" Fred asked him quietly and the unspoken, "did you know for sure that he would?" was clear.

"Yeah, he would have been." Harry said with a small nod, looking off back to the corner of the room again. "I think...I think I must've taken his place. He was supposed to face Voldemort on his own and it ended up me facing him alone instead."

"You should've woken us." George told him sternly.

"We would've come with you." Fred agreed.

"You shouldn't have taken that risk on your own."

"There wasn't really time and I was panicking. I just wanted to go and get Potter before he was killed, I never even intending on facing Voldemort really but then the stupid little prat ran away from me; we practically handed ourselves over to him on a silver plate." Harry explained before pausing a moment, considering something. "What has Potter been saying about what happened?"

"Surprisingly, not a lot." Fred answered with a light grin.

"I get the feeling he's more embarrassed about the whole thing rather than proud that he was involved." George mused thoughtfully before he grinned as well. "How long did he actually last before he went down?"

"Not long, it was right near the beginning; Voldemort no doubt wanted him out of the way so he could concentrate on getting rid of me first." Total lie but was far more believable than the truth which involved Voldemort calling him "love".

"What spell?"

"Just a Stupefy."

"Hah, serves the git right." Fred laughed. "Maybe now he'll learn a little bit of humility."

"Yeah, maybe," Harry said with a small grin. "But I doubt it."

8th June 1992: Evening

Harry laughed along with Fred and George as they made their way to the Great Hall for that year's Leaving Feast. The afternoon had been spent chatting aimlessly with the occasional interruption when someone shyly asked Harry if he was feeling better. He didn't mind questions like that, after all it was only people voicing concern or relief that he had come out on top after what had happened and that he was all right. What he objected to was when people tried to ask for an in depth explanation of what had happened. That was when he started to tell people to mind their own business or simply just ignored them.

The three Third Year Gryffindors entered the Great Hall easily, ignoring the stares that they knew were on them. They made their way over to where they would be sitting but Harry paused before he sat down. Further up the table was Ron, Hermione and Potter; he hadn't spoken to any of them yet and he at least wanted to check up on Ron and Hermione.

"Be back in a second." Harry said quietly as he gave each twin a couple of pats on one of their shoulders, his eyes staying on the three First Years. Fred and George glanced over in that direction as well and simply gave small nods in reply.

So, Harry straightened up properly and made his way over to the three down at the end of the table. Several of his House mates said hello to him as he passed them and he returned the greetings politely but didn't stop to chat, no doubt to the dismay of several people. When he reached the three he wanted to talk to, he stopped just behind Hermione who was sitting opposite to the other two boys.

"Alright there Ron?" He asked with a small smile, trying to ignore the fact that several other First Years were now listen intently.

"Yeah...You?" The youngest male Weasley asked, sounding slightly awed.

"Can't complain." Harry replied, his smile turning into a grin. He looked down and to his side to where Hermione was sitting next to him with a light blush on her cheeks. "Alright Hermione?"

"Never better." She assured him with a small, slightly shy smile of her own.

Harry gave her an encouraging smile in return before he lifted his head and turned his attention to the dark haired boy sitting next to Ron, his smile fading more than a little but not completely. "Potter." He greeted neutrally. The twelve year old boy said nothing in reply, merely turning his head and glaring off to the side. Neither Ron nor Hermione seemed impressed with the boy's attitude but Harry merely grinned at it, giving a small chuckle. "Nice to see nothing's changed." He said in a tone filled with amusement. And it was; saving a Potter was one thing, being friendly with a Potter was something completely different. Harry turned his attention back onto Hermione and Ron. "I'll see you two later no doubt." Was what he said by way of goodbye as he turned and walked back over to Fred and George.

"Potter not in a friendly mood?" George grinned as he scooted to the side a little to allow Harry room to sit down between him and his brother.

"When is he ever when it comes to me?" Harry answered simply, clearly not insulted by that fact.

"Hey Harry, have you noticed the colour of the banner?" Fred pointed out, flicking his eyes upwards.

Harry followed his friend's eyes and saw the green and silver themed decorations of the Great Hall for the first time. "Wow, Slytherin, never saw that coming." He said sarcastically, allowing his eyes to fall back to a normal gaze. "I'm sure Draco and Father are most delighted."

"It's all Potter's fault. Merlin knows how many points he cost us this year." Fred grumbled, tapping on his fork dejectedly.

"We'll get it next year." George assured confidently.

"You said that last year." Harry pointed out.

"And the year before that." Fred added.

"Yeah, and one of these days I'm gonna be right." The red-head grinned playfully.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A quiet spattering of applause spread throughout the Great Hall as Slytherin was announced to have won the House Cup, no one particularly thrilled for the House except the members of the House themselves. Harry clapped gently as to avoid twinging his broken wrist, not in the least surprised by the outcome of the House points including the fact that Gryffindor had come dead last, he knew only too well that a lot of those points had been taken by his own father in the Gryffindor First Year Potion class.

When he had finished clapping but others around were still doing it, Harry turned to look at Draco over on the other side of the Great Hall. The blonde was looking smug and accomplished and upon catching Harry's eyes smirked at him. The Gryffindor shook his head slightly at that and rolled his eyes before turning back around, missing the small, annoyed frown which crossed Draco's face at the basic dismissal. Harry had no desire to communicate with his best friend when he was acting in such a way though; a gloating Draco was an annoying Draco.

When the clapping stopped, Dumbledore began to speak again, continuing from what he had just said: "However, in light of recent events, I believe that a few last minute points are required." That intrigued everyone as every single head in the hall turned to face the Headmaster. "To Ronald Weasley, for the best played game of chess that this school has ever seen, I reward Gryffindor fifty points." Dumbledore said and there was a small applause. "To Hermione Granger, for her cool use of intellect even when others around were in great danger, I award fifty points." More applause. "To Johnathan Potter, for a display of courage far exceeding his age, fifty points." Yet more applause which Harry, Fred and George only reluctantly participated in. "And to Haryon Snape," Harry blushed while the twins grinned ecstatically. "For going to the aid of others, even when it was not expected of him," that was no doubt a reference to his attempt to save Quirrel more than anything, "I award seventy-five points."

The clapping this time was far louder and there were a couple of whistles as well. That only made Harry blush a bit more and slouch further down into his seat only to be hauled back up by an enthusiastic George. Harry glanced over to his father and noted that although the man wasn't clapping, there was a certain smugness in his eyes as if he was saying to everyone, "that's my son you're clapping for".

"We're tied with Slytherin." Someone not too far away whispered excitedly and the message continued the full way down the table.

"And, finally, it takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but it takes a great deal more courage to stand up to your friends. Ten points will therefore be awarded to Neville Longbottom." A lot of cheers and laughter broke out at that, all from the Gryffindor table, especially from the end all the First Years were sitting at, as they congratulated the shy boy who looked a little dazed at the attention. "Now, if my calculations are correct, I do believe that means that a last minute change of decoration is in order." Dumbledore clapped his hands once and the banners changed from green and silver to red and gold.

If the Gryffidors hadn't been making enough noise before, they certainly were now. Practically the whole table was on their feet, jumping around and cheering at the tops of their voices. Harry found himself the centre of the attention in the area he was sitting in, several people patting him on his back or occasionally pulling him into a hug which he found beyond embarrassing. Eventually, Fred and George saved him from the other people only so they could hug him themselves, both throwing an arm around his shoulders and then jumping up and down in a hyper-active manner.

Once again looking over to the Slytherin table, Harry noticed that Draco now looked anything but smug. In fact, he looked furious, a dark glare aimed in Professor Dumbledore's direction. The dark haired Gryffindor turned from looking to his best friend to looking at the Head Table. Several of the teachers had seemed to have perked up now that Gryffindor had won the House Cup instead of Slytherin, which Harry had to admit was a bit unfair. He didn't think he'd ever seen Professor McGonagall smile so much.

With a certain amount of trepidation, Harry turned his eyes onto Severus again. As usual, the man looked incredibly sour and not in the least happy. That couldn't be taken to face value and Harry knew that. He kept his eyes on his father in hopes of catching the stotic man's eye. The staring eventually paid off as Severus' gaze moved the smallest amount so that their gazes met. After a few seconds of just staring, Severus gave a very slight nod before looking away again. It was small but it was enough for Harry. His father wasn't too annoyed and the annoyance he did feel was probably directed at Dumbledore more than him.

Despite all that had happened over the last week, things hadn't turned out too badly and, as the cheering of Gryffindor table continued on with no sign of stopping or fading, Harry was truly grateful that he had survived.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

19th August 1992: Midday

Harry staggered out of the dusty fire place awkwardly, tripping over his feet in the process and landing on the wooden floorboards with a loud thud. A harsh cough forced its way out and he pushed himself up onto his elbows to give his chest room to move. Once his coughing eased, he pushed himself up the rest of the way, getting onto his knees before hauling himself up onto his feet uneasily. Then, he looked around himself.

This wasn't the Leaky Cauldron.

But that wasn't surprising considering he had sneezed half way through saying Diagon Alley. Now he didn't know where he was and he didn't know how he was going to find Lucius or Draco who he had originally been coming with. Though having said that he didn't know where he was, he got the horrible feeling that he was somewhere in Knockturn Alley, judging by the gloominess of the area around him, the gruesome-looking objects which covered every surface and the copious amounts of dust that was everywhere.

Giving a small sigh, Harry started forward, intending to just leave and find his way back to the Leaky Cauldron. However, he didn't notice the small table just next to his thigh and he walked right into it. He gave a yelp of pain and jumped back just as the table tipped and the books which had been resting on top of it fell to the floor. With a small mutter of annoyance, Harry quickly righted the table and then knelt down and began to gather the books, holding them into a pile in his arms. Then, he touched one book and he gasped as his vision swam for a second before everything turned completely black.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

He stood quickly, instantly on edge despite the fact He was pretty sure nothing was going to hurt Him; it was more like He was wary of what He might see. And slowly, what He was meant to see came moving out of the darkness, as if stepping into an area of light despite the fact there was none. It was a boy, maybe a little older than Himself. He couldn't quite make out the face properly but He did recognise what the boy was wearing; Hogwarts Slytherin robes.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Suddenly, the dark shop returned to Harry in the blink of an eye and he was aware that he was still kneeling on the floor and there was now a hand on his shoulder. Quickly, he glanced upwards and found an ugly old man standing over him, his skin dry and dusty looking and his lower face covered with rough, grey whiskers. Harry bolted up onto his feet quickly and moved away from the man a little; he was only too aware of the rumours that went around about the sort of business that went on in Knockturn Alley.

"Something caught your eye sonny?" The man asked with a strange grin.

"No, I accidently knocked over a table, I was just picking everything up." Harry replied carefully as he went to set the pile of books onto the small table. Once they were settled, he went to move his arms away when the man reached out for him again and grabbed his right arm with his bony, grey hand. Harry slowly lifted his gaze to meet that of the man's, all the while trying to figure out how likely it was that he'd be able to simply shove the man away from him and bolt for it if the opportunity arose.

"Such a kind boy you are, I insist on rewarding you." The old man said with a toothy grin.

"But it was my fault in the first place." Harry pointed out, more than a little suspicious of this man's behaviour.

"But you could've just left, but no, you stayed and helped an old man out. You deserve to be rewarded." The grey man insisted and only increased Harry's suspicion; they were wizards, picking up a few books was hardly strenuous even for the elderly. "Here, you can have this." He continued, taking the book which had caused Harry's "thing" and holding it out to him. "It's a diary; I'm sure a pretty boy like you has a lot to say for himself."

Harry accepted the book carefully, only wanting to get out of the shop and away from this man as quickly as possible. He glanced at the black leather cover and noticed that at the bottom, on the front, in gold print, were the words T.M.Riddle. It was probably only the maker so he thought nothing of it, instead opening it and flicking through the blank pages. Indeed, it did seem to be nothing more than a diary. Lifting his gaze again to address the man, Harry was rather startled to find himself on his own once again. There was no sign of the man anywhere around him and there didn't appear to be anywhere the man could have left to which was odd.

A frown spread itself across Harry's features and he slowly backed over to the shop's door, the diary still in hand. When he had reached the door, he opened it quickly and dashed out, turning left when he was outside despite the fact he had no idea where he was going. He didn't stop running until a view of sunlight caught his eye. Only then did he slow to a stop in order to get a better look at what was off further to his left. When he recognised it as a part of Diagon Alley, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief and hastily jogged his way over to the end of Knockturn Alley, thankful that he'd finally made his way out.

He stepped out into the sunshine which filled Diagon Alley happily, instantly glancing around himself in the off-chance that he spotted either Lucius or Draco. Not surprisingly, he saw neither but that didn't matter now; he could make his way to the Leaky Cauldron from here and then wait for them there. Before he went on his way though, he paused to look at the diary which he still held in his hand. There really didn't seem to be anything wrong with it but that still didn't mean Harry wasn't wary of it. He couldn't just abandon it though, just in case it was something dangerous. So, he slipped it inside an inside pocket of his cloak, deciding it would probably be best to give it to his father to check out when he got back home.

"Boo!" A voice suddenly yelled in his ear as two pairs of hands fell down onto each of his shoulders.

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin at the cry, his whole body twitching in shock as he sucked in a startled gasp. He pulled away from the hands and turned around quickly only to find that he could relax again. "Did you have to do that?" He frowned at Fred and George who were standing just in front of him, looking far too pleased with themselves.

"Course we did." Fred said in all seriousness.

"Gotta keep you on your toes." George added as he and his brother stepped forward to come to stand either side of their dark haired friend. "So, why didn't you tell us you were heading in Diagon Alley on this fair day?"

"You could've come with us."

"I'm supposed to be here with Uncle Lucius and Draco but I sneezed in the middle of using the Floo and I ended up being spat back out in a shop in Knockturn Alley." Harry explained as he allowed the twins to lead him, what he was guessed, was towards the rest of the Weasleys.

"Knockturn Alley?" George echoed.

"Congratulations on getting out un-hexed." Fred said after with no small amount of grim humour in his tone.

"It can't be that bad down there." Harry argued, despite what he'd just seen.

"If your dad worked at the Ministry then you'd know that, actually, it is." George murmured to him just as Flourish & Blotts came into view, along with the sight of Hermione looking from side to side. When she caught sight of the three boys, she headed straight over to them.

"Harry, it's so good to see you." She greeted the dark haired boy with an enthusiastic smile.

"It's good to see you too." Harry returned the greeting with a smile of his own.

Hermione held his attention for a few more moments before she turned to give a pointed look to Fred and George. "And there you two are!" She cried in exasperation. "We've been looking for you for ages. Why did you wander off like that?"

"Unlike the entire female,"

"And a good proportion of the male as well probably,"

"Population, we don't really want to stand in an over-crowded book store,"

"And pander to Gilderoy Lockhart."

"Gilderoy Lockhart's in Flourish & Blotts?" Harry asked, interrupting the twins' double act.

"His new autobiography's out." Hermione answered, sounding rather excited again. She reached forward and grabbed Harry's arm before pulling him towards the shop entrance. "Come in, everyone'll be glad to see that you're here and you're just in time for Lockhart's book signing." Harry threw a slightly desperate look over his shoulder at the twins but they could only grin at him in amusement as they trailed along behind.

The four of them entered the shop and Harry was instantly struck by how many people had managed to cram themselves into the relatively small space. He was pulled through by Hermione and was only released when they were near the front of the group that had crowded near the back of the shop, no doubt in anticipation for the entrance of Gilderoy Lockhart. Once Hermione had let Harry's arm go, he noticed that she went over to a man and a woman in Muggle clothing, giving the woman a quick kiss on the cheek, and common sense told him that they must be her parents. He was instantly intrigued and wanted to maybe have a bit of a chat with them as he'd never really met a Muggle properly before, but his attention was called away by Fred and George as they once again joined him, both standing to his right. It was also the moment that Ron decided to join them too, moving around Mrs Weasley to come and stand to Harry's left.

"He ain't come out yet then?" George murmured, looking around at everyone who was standing around them.

"Probably still trying to figure out whether he should wear the powder blue or the mint green." Fred grinned.

George looked as though he was about to add to that comment but found he had to stop as the crowd began to applaud. Turning their attention to the front, the three boys saw that Gilderoy Lockhart had just appeared from the back with a rather self-satisfied smirk on his face. His long blonde hair was tied behind him loosely with a pale blue satin bow and he wore a matching, floor-length blue satin coat with ruffles of white lace from his shirt behind coming through, down the length of his chest. Harry glanced down at his side to where Hermione was clapping earnestly while gazing on at the man with a dreamy look in her eyes. Directly beside him, Mrs Weasley was looking rather star-struck as well.

"Mum fancies him." Ron murmured to Harry then, only to be promptly smacked on the arm by the woman. Harry gave a small laugh at that, muffling it as much as possible so as not to disturb the silence that had now fallen in the shop. It was as this silence came that Lockhart's gaze settled on Harry after posing for a picture.

The man's eyes widened slightly. "It can't be...Haryon Snape?" All eyes were instantly on Harry and he cringed lightly before it was replaced with a look of surprise as the reporter grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him forward with an exclamation of his name. Harry was guided towards Lockhart who instantly pulling him to his side when he was in reach. "Big smile now Haryon; I bet you and I make the front page." He said through one of his famous smiles. On his part, Harry was too stunned to smile.

With the picture taken, the Daily Prophet photographer scuttled away and Harry went to move away as well, figuring that this whole embarrassing episode was over. However, Lockhart's arm remained around his shoulders and even tightened slightly to keep him in place.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, little did Haryon know that this afternoon when he came into Flourish & Blotts to purchase a copy of my autobiography "Magical Me"," he paused when the small applause came, "he would, in fact, be leaving with my entire literary collection," the blonde man shoved a whole pile of books into Harry's chest, making the teenager accept them, "free of charge." That earned yet more applause while Ron looked around at everyone as if they were nuts and the twins merely grinned in amusement. "Now," Lockhart said, pushing Harry away now that he was no longer needed and sitting down behind the table. "Who's first?"

Harry made his way stiffly over to the Weasley and was immediately relieved of his new books by Mrs Weasley. "All right Harry, I'll take these and get them signed for you. Now I want all of you to wait outside." She instructed them and the teenagers and children all shuffled to do as they were told.

Instead of following the rest of the Weasleys to the front entrance however, Harry paused by Mr and Mrs Granger. "Erm, hello, I don't believe we've met; you're Hermione's parents right?" He said with a polite smile.

"Yes, that's right." Hermione's mother said with a smile of her own. She frowned a little in confusion. "Haven't I seen you in one of her books?"

Harry blushed and looked down at the floor awkwardly. "Erm, yeah, I'm, erm, I'm a bit famous."

"That explains why that bloke up there seemed so eager to get a picture with you." Hermione's father said before holding out his hand for Harry to shake. "It's very nice to meet you..."

"Haryon Snape." Harry filled in, shaking the man's hand. "But most people just call me Harry so feel free to as well."

"Are you here with your parents Harry?" Mrs Granger asked.

"No, my father's busy today. I was supposed to be here with my godfather and his son but I got separated from them." He told them, still blushing slightly. "Hermione told me once that you're both dentists? Would you mind if I asked you a question?"

"By all means." Mrs Granger invited him.

"How do you do it without magic?" He inquired earnestly, genuinely interested.

So, then the two parents went into a brief description of what they did and Harry listened carefully, absolutely fascinated. He could tell why Mr Weasley was so interested in Muggles now, they really did have some peculiar ways. Imagine having to look into people's mouths all day for a living. Wizard dentists just used charms and the such to tell them whether there was anything wrong or not. To actually have to look inside someone's mouth and poke about in there was...Well, it was weird and could in no way be hygienic.

Just as Harry was about to ask another question, something over by the entrance to the book shop caught his eye. Lucius was standing in front of all the Weasley's and seemed to actually be talking to them and Harry wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "Erm, if you'll please excuse me; it was lovely meeting the both of you." He said to the two Muggles quickly but politely. Before they even got a chance to return the sentiment, the dark haired boy was hurrying away, over to the gathering by the front of the shop. Getting closer to the group, he could start to pick up on what was being said:

"I do hope they're paying you over-time for all those extra raids Arthur," his godfather was saying to Mr Weasley as he held up what appeared to be a couple of Ginny's books. "But judging from the state of these, I doubt it." Lucius dumped the books back into Ginny's cauldron before shaking his head slightly. "What's the sense in being a disgrace to the name of Wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have very different ideas of what disgraces the name of Wizard, Malfoy." Mr Weasley told the blonde aristocrat and Harry mentally cheered for the come-back.

"Clearly." Lucius smirked before his eyes flickered over to Mr and Mrs Granger, apparently missing Harry. "Associating with Muggles." He murmured in distaste before turning back to Mr Weasley. "And I thought your family could sink no longer."

"Uncle Lucius." Harry stepped forward and greeted his godfather coldly, no longer willing to put up with the man insulting the Weasleys as he was.

"Ah, Haryon, there you are. Draco and I hoped you'd only gone one grate too far." Lucius said to him with a cool smile which meant so much more when coming form a Malfoy in public.

"The Weasley's were kind enough to allow me to join with them when they found me." Harry revealed, his tone still cold. Lucius had noticed it and, to Harry who had known the man his whole young life, he was obviously confused by his godson's sudden distance. He hid it well though and merely gave Harry another small smile.

"Well, now that you're found again, we had best be moving on. We have a lot to do today."

"No." Harry replied coolly despite the fact his heart was racing a mile a minute; this was the first time he had ever spoken against his godfather and it was rather nerve-wracking.

"Pardon?" Lucius asked, sounding half surprised and half angry.

"I said no, I do not wish to spend my day with you now. As long as it's all right with Mr and Mrs Weasley, I would prefer to share their company this afternoon." The dark haired boy answered, knowing that the Weasleys would welcome him openly.

Lucius glared openly at Harry now and it took all of the dark haired teenager's self-control to not shy away from the stare or look away. It was terrifying and all Harry wanted to do was apologise and go with the man but it was a matter of principle; he didn't agree with anything that Lucius had just said and he was going to make his displeasure known and hopefully teach the man a lesson. Such beliefs were old-fashioned, bigoted and completely not true and for Lucius to openly admit he believed such thing was an embarrassment.

Eventually, Harry couldn't take it anymore and he looked away, no longer able to bring himself to look his godfather in the eye. He didn't make any move towards the Malfoy though and the blonde seemed to finally realise that Harry was serious about not coming with him. Glaring once at Mr Weasley, Lucius turned on his heel gracefully and left the shop and, if he hadn't been so cultured, it would have been a flounce. Malfoy's didn't flounce though so it was merely an angry exit.

When the blonde man was out of the shop, Harry gave a sigh of relief before turning to Mr Weasley and bowing his head. "I am so sorry Mr Weasley, my godfather's behaviour was inexcusable."

"There's no need for you to apologise Harry." Mr Weasley assured him, giving him a few pats on the shoulder as reassurance. "C'mon you lot." He said to the rest of the Weasley off-spring in a cheerful tone which was only slightly forced. "Let's be off shall we?"

They all gave small murmurs of agreement and began to shuffle out of the shop, Fred and George falling in beside Harry as they went. "That was wicked." Fred murmured in the dark haired boy's ear with a happy grin.

"Yeah, way to tell off your godfather." George added happily.

Harry gave them a weak smile back which was totally forced. Neither boy seemed to notice or if they did they didn't comment on it and they all spilled out onto the street. As they did, Harry was jogged slightly, causing him to stumble a little but he managed to keep up on his feet. Once he was out of the crowd, Harry allowed his face to fall the moment he was sure no one was paying proper attention and he released a sigh, closing his eyes lightly. The, when he felt someone step up to him again, he quickly opened them again to see Ginny standing next to him, looking up worriedly.

"Are you all right?" She asked shyly, a faint blush tinging her cheeks.

Harry couldn't help but smile at her softly at that inquiry. "Yeah, I'm all right." He assured her truthfully, because he was fine, he was just dreading the next time he had to see his godfather again.

19th August 1992: Evening

Harry stepped out of the fireplace in his house uneasily, almost tripping over his own feet once again. He'd had a wonderful afternoon with the Weasleys, (and Hermione and her parents too up until they and Ron had gone off with the Potters) and he had got everything he needed for when he went back to school. The unpleasantness involving Lucius had quickly been forgotten and Harry hadn't thought about it for even a second since Fred and George managed to get a magical "Kick Me" sign onto Johnathan Potter's back.

Walking further into the living room, Harry settled his newly bought things on the coffee table before he took off his cloak and then once again gathered everything up in his arms. He made his way out of the living room, turning right to hang his cloak up by the front door as he called out: "Father?"

"In the kitchen." His father's voice replied.

Harry smiled lightly at that and turned around before walking forwards, heading towards the kitchen door. When he reached it, he turned slightly to nudge it open with his shoulder. "How's your day been Father?" He began to ask cheerfully as he opened then door further. "Mine turned out to be great, well, at least it did after Gilderoy Lockhart had finished dragging me up from the crowd in Flourish..." Harry's voice trailed off when he was greeted with the sight of Severus sitting at the kitchen table along with Lucius. The smile was wiped off of his face instantly and he turned around to leave again without further word.

"Haryon." Severus called him back and Harry stopped dutifully but didn't turn around. "What's this hear about you talking back to your godfather?"

"I was merely standing up to an injustice." Harry replied neutrally, finally turning around to face the others in the room. Lucius gave a small snort at that and Harry glared at him, his temper flaring up. "What you said to the Weasleys wasn't right or fair in any way. Do you know how embarrassing it was for me once you had gone? I was so humiliated that you would talk to them like that! I mean, was it really necessary? Did you really have to say all that to them? What was the purpose of it?"

"Haryon, I apologise if..." Lucius began to say but was cut off by a humourless laugh from his godson.

"You, apologise? Hold on, let me call the Daily Prophet."

"Haryon..." Severus said in a warning tone.

"No Father, I can't ignore this." He said before turning to Lucius. "The things you said; how can you still believe in such things? That you're somehow better than someone else because of your job, because you have no association with Muggles? Because of your blood? You honestly believe that?"

"And why should I not?" Lucius growled out, obviously trying his best to control his temper.

"Because it's simply not true!" Harry cried and if his hands hadn't been full of books he would have thrown his arms up. "Uncle Lucius how can you think that blood and status makes you better than someone? Father's a half-blood and me, well, we don't know what I am do we? I mean, what if I'm Muggle-born? Would that change your out look or would it change what you think of me?"

"Don't be ridiculous Haryon, your father found you in a Wizarding part of London, a Muggle wouldn't have been able to leave you there." Lucius sneered.

"But we don't know for sure!" The teenager insisted angrily. "And your avoiding my question! What if I were a Muggle-born...Would you still love me?" Harry sighed sadly and blinked back the tears that suddenly stung his eyes. "I can't stop you from thinking such horrible things, but I can leave so I don't have to hear them." He murmured quietly, as he turned and left the room silently. The kitchen remained silent behind him and he hugged his pile of books to his chest tightly, trying to hold back his tears until he had at least reached his bedroom.

His pace remained slow and steady, mostly because he couldn't run with an armful of books, until he reached his bedroom. He edged open the door with his foot enough to get through and then stepped inside, closing it behind him with his foot. And then he stopped. He continued to hold his new books and he leaned back against the door and let out a shuddered breath. His heart was still pounding and he still felt like he wanted to cry but he refused to. There was no reason to cry, he had been perfectly justified in telling his godfather off...But that still didn't mean it didn't make his heart ache.

A sniff escaped Harry and he shook his head irritably as a couple of tears ran down his cheeks. He glared angrily, angry with himself, as he went over to his desk and set his books down before snaking his finger underneath his glasses and scrubbing at his eyes roughly. As he took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth, his bedroom door opened with a small knock. He turned, fully intending to yell if it was Lucius or reassure if it was Severus. So, it was rather surprising when he saw Draco standing in the open doorway.

"I didn't know you were here." Harry murmured, glancing at the blonde teenager before looking away, hoping against hope that Draco didn't notice his slightly puffy eyes.

"I was in the bathroom." Draco said neutrally as he moved forward and then closed the door. "Though I did hear what you said to my father, parts of it anyway." He closed the distance between them and then wrapped his arms around Harry tightly. "Merlin, I wish I'd been down there to see his face. I'm guessing you didn't find it fun though, your shaking."

"I'm all right." Harry said gently though he buried his face against Draco shoulder.

"C'mon, let's sit down and you can tell me exactly what happened; Father refused to tell me when he came out of Flourish & Blotts, just said you were going to spend the afternoon with the Weasleys." Draco explained as he guided Harry over to the bed and made him sit down on the edge, settling down with him and keeping an arm around his shoulders.

"I just heard him saying some stuff that I thought was wrong." Harry mumbled, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes again before giving a hot sigh.

"And you told him off about it and that's good." Draco congratulated sincerely, resting his cheek on his best friend's head and running his fingers lightly over the dark hair. "Now if you could just learn to do the same with Sev then you'll be set."

"Baby steps Draco, baby steps." Harry said with a small laugh, allowing himself to lounge against the blonde. He felt a small kiss being pressed to the top of his head and he smiled a little more, content to sit there peacefully and give himself time to calm down fully.

A couple of minutes passed before there was another knock at Harry's bedroom door before it opened and Severus stepped in. He rose an eyebrow at the position of the two teenagers; Harry blushed all the brighter and Draco simply gave him a slightly challenging look. "You're father's leaving now Draco." He told the blonde boy and the silent command for him to follow was clear.

Draco sighed slightly irritably and reluctantly pulled his arm away from Harry. "I'll probably see you tomorrow." He smiled down at the dark haired boy. Harry just gave him a small nod and a weak smile.

Draco hesitated a moment, half standing up and half stooped over, seemingly trying to decide on something, before he made up his mind and straightened up completely. He gave Harry another smile before turning and leaving the bedroom without another word. Once he had left the room, Severus watched him go down the stairs as Harry amused himself with picking at the wool-throw which was spread over the end of his bed. He heard the door being shut once again and then the sound of soft footsteps making their way over to him. The mattress next to him dipped under a new weight a few seconds later but he still didn't look up, not completely sure what he was supposed to expect from his father.

"That was certainly uncharacteristic of you." Severus said quietly.

"Draco approved." Harry murmured, not wanting to risk saying anything else.

"Yes, well, he would." The man sighed lightly and then Harry felt the black eyes move onto him. "Haryon, is there something wrong? Besides what Lucius said."

"No, not particularly." The teenager answered truthfully, finally lifting his head to look at his father. "What makes you ask?"

"I merely felt it was necessary to check just to make sure." Severus assured. "What was it about what Lucius said that upset you the most?"

"There wasn't really one part, it was just the whole thing. I just...I don't understand how he can honestly believe such terrible things." Harry murmured, his gaze falling back down, landing on his lap.

"Lucius, in many ways, is a man very much stuck in the past."

"Doesn't it hurt you that he thinks he's better than you, than people like you, because of your blood and his blood?"

"No, it doesn't, because I know that he doesn't mean it about myself or about you." He paused before continuing. "Your godfather was raised in a very specific way and he still holds certain beliefs. Such beliefs are frowned upon now, but beliefs are hard things to change. To reject who you are is a hard thing to do; I struggle with it every day."

Gently, Severus reached out and cupped the back of his son's head, running the pad of his thumb over the soft hair. Harry closed his eyes, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty. "I shouldn't have yelled, I should've tried to understand..."

"No, I think you did very well considering. Your argument structure needs work and..."

"You sound like you're marking an essay." Harry laughed lightly, his voice still sounding a little shaken.

"Yes, well that's what happens when you spend ten months of the year doing just that." Severus said with a small smirk which passed for grin with him.

Harry glanced over to his father quickly before giving another small laugh and shuffling over, moving to rest against Severus' side. The Potions Master curled his arm around the teenager, his hand holding his waist in a supportive manner. "Was he really angry?"

"I think he was more miffed than angry." The man assured gently, his tone rather amused. "Don't worry yourself with it though; things will be better in the morning, once we've all had time to calm down."

"I'm not going to apologise first." Harry said adamantly.

Severus chuckled low in his chest and gave his son a playful jostle. "And that doesn't surprise me in the least."

20th August 1992: Morning

Harry felt around the pockets of the cloak with a small frown of confusion on his face. He patted the material all over from where it was still hanging by the front door and then opened it so he could actually have a look at the pockets on the inside of it. However, it soon became totally official that there was nothing inside any of the pockets of his cloak which was strange as he hadn't taken the diary he had received the previous day in Knockturn Alley out and he vividly remembered putting it in a pocket inside his cloak.

Had he dropped it somehow? Or had someone picked it out of his pocket? That was unlikely as it was an inside pocket it had been in though, with magic, it may have been possible. Would anyone have really been odd enough to want to steal a diary though? It may have been taken without the pick-pocketer knowing what it was but it was still a very odd thing to steal, especially considering that he had been carrying money on him as well.

With an annoyed sigh, Harry yanked his cloak back into position again, deciding it was time to give up. There was no little black book there and he wasn't sure whether he should be concerned or not. He had to face it, there was no proof pointing towards the book being dangerous other than the fact he had been given it by a suspicious old man in a creepy shop in Knockturn Alley. To think that everyone in Knockturn Alley was someone to be wary of and a loyal Death Eater was a hateful stereotype and it was impossible that everyone down there was a dark wizard or witch, after all, Severus still went down there occasionally to get certain potions ingredients. The old man and the diary could quite easily be completely innocent...But he still couldn't deny that he was more than a little uncertain with it all.

"What are you doing?" Severus' voice suddenly asked and Harry turned to look to see the man standing at the living room door way.

"Nothing, just checking something." Harry said, dismissing the question easily.

"Then you're currently occupied with something?" The dark man checked.

"No...Why?"

"Your godfather's here to talk to you."

"Oh..." Already? Harry hadn't been expecting the blonde man to come so early. He thought he still had at least another twelve hours before he had to face this.

"Eloquent as always." Severus smirked as he stepped aside to allow Harry into the living room.

Harry entered the room and immediately met the gaze of Lucius who sat gracefully on the sofa beside the fire. He heard the gentle click of the door shutting and he knew that his father had left him and the blonde man alone. Nervously, the dark haired boy made his way over to the arm-chair that Severus usually sat in and settled down, making sure to sweep his hair out of the way as he hadn't bothered to tie it into a braid that morning.

For the next few minutes, neither occupant of the room spoke. They sat directly opposite each other and while Lucius never took his eyes off of his godson, Harry stubbornly kept his gaze down on his lap the whole time. He didn't look up even when his godfather finally spoke. "I apologise for embarrassing you yesterday. I would never have said what I did if I had realised you were that familiar with the Weasleys."

"So you're apologising that you said it but not for what you said." Harry murmured, slightly annoyed with that fact and it was reflected in his tone.

"You wish for me to lie to you then?" Lucius asked coolly, obviously managing to maintain his patience better this time around.

"No, of course not. I just wish..." Harry hesitated and sighed lightly. "I just wish you didn't think such things."

"I was raised in a different time Haryon." The aristocrat said simply, as if that one sentence explained and excused everything.

"Yes, that's what Father said." The dark haired boy agreed, his gaze held intently on his fingers which were twiddling together on his lap nervously. Lucius had apologised for what he had done wrong; it was only fair that Harry did the same now. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I know you are." The blonde said by means of an acceptance. "But I must tell you that I am rather proud that you stood up to me." Harry finally lifted his head, looking across at his godfather in surprise. "You're growing into a young man now Haryon and it's only natural that you'll be developing ideas of your own. To have the courage to stand up to someone when what you see as an injustice is carried out is very commendable."

Harry couldn't help but blush slightly at that comment and he let his head drop into a bow again. After another little while of silence, he spoke a little uncertainly. "So, erm, are we, I mean, we're okay now, right?"

"I see no reason why we shouldn't be." Lucius drawled, sounding slightly mocking. It was a playful mocking though and it only confirmed to Harry that everything really was all right between him and his godfather again.

Feeling relatively comfortable for the first time since he entered the living room, Harry lifted his head again and met eyes with Lucius. The blonde man quirked an eyebrow at him gently and gave a small smirk. Harry gave a small laugh at the expression which was obviously the right thing to do as the smirk faded from Lucius' face only to be replaced with a genuine smile.

Everything was all right with the world once again.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

1st September 1992: Midday

"Harry! Hurry up! We'll miss it!" Draco called over his shoulder as he charged down Platform 9 at Kings Cross Station at exactly five minutes to eleven o'clock in the morning.

"This trolly isn't exactly easy to control when running at a high speed Draco!" Harry retorted, dragging behind the blonde boy slightly though not enough to justify his scolding. "And besides, if we do miss the train, it'll be your fault as, for once, you were the one who wouldn't get out of bed. For all the times for you to decide you want a lie in!"

"Half past nine is not a lie in." The young aristocrat argued.

"It is when you spend an hour in the bathroom doing Merlin knows what." The dark haired boy shot back. "If your father had been in you wouldn't have spent even half as long in there as you did."

"Yes, well he was at work so what's the point of even bringing it up?" Draco said with a glare over his shoulder before he turned back around only to have his glare deepen at who was ahead of them, standing right in the course of their movements. "Oi, Potter, Weasley, move it!" He ordered, giving the two Second Years mere seconds to process what he had said and quickly jump away. Well, Ron jumped away and then yanked Potter with him.

"Thanks Ron." Harry smiled to the red haired boy as he passed them, flashing him a quick smile as he did so. "See you on the train."

Just ahead of them was the entrance to Platform 9 and 3/4 and Percy had just disappeared inside. Next in line were Fred and George who must have noticed Draco and Harry approaching because they both turned a little bit and waved at them both, though mostly to Harry. "Meet you on the other side Harry." George called back to him just as Fred ran forward. Seconds later, he ran after his twin and disappeared through the barrier as well.

"Go ahead boys, you can go first." Mr Weasley encouraged them hurriedly, gesturing for them to go ahead of him, his wife and Ginny.

"Thank you Mr Weasley." Harry said quickly as Draco disappeared through the barrier and he followed on quickly. Out on the otherside, Fred and George were standing to one side waiting for them, or at least Harry.

"Bit late aren't you?" Fred greeted them with a grin.

"Could say the same to you Weasley." Draco answered, coming to a rest with Harry just in front of the Weasley twins.

"Ah yeah, but seven people,"

"One bathroom,"

"It's understandable with us."

Harry grinned at the double act and the joke as he was supposed to and even Draco gave a small smirk just as, behind them, Mr and Mrs Weasley came through the barrier along with Ginny in between them. The moment Mrs Weasley's eyes settled on the group of four teenage boys, she gave them a frown. "What are you all doing just standing there! The train'll leave at any moment!"

"Off we go then." George said happily as he turned around and set off with Fred.

Harry went to follow them but paused when he noticed that Draco had, at one point, had his wand out and was now in the process of slipping it back into his robes. "What did you have that out for?"

"Oh, no reason really, just a little practical joke on Potter. I'm sure he of all people enjoys a good practical joke every now and again." Draco smirked while at the same time being able to pull off looking suitably innocent.

"What did you do?" Harry asked suspiciously as he allowed himself to be turned and ushered towards the train ahead of them.

"Nothing that will cause him perminant damage, now come along or we will miss the train." Draco ordered as they sped up, too close to the train now to justify not managing to get on board.

They got all their things chucked on board and Harry said a quick goodbye to Mr and Mrs Weasley before he followed Draco onto the train. Harry's foot had literally just lifted off of the platform before the train jerked forward gently and continued on steadily. People remained standing by the windows for several moments more, waving off to parents and the such, so Harry and Draco found that they had several people to squeeze past, much to the blonde's annoyance.

"Damn idiots getting in our way." He grumbled irritably as he took Harry's hand to make sure they didn't get seperated.

"They're hardly doing it on purpose." The dark haired boy tried to soothe.

"So says you." Draco muttered as they finally broke free of a group of people.

The compartment door next to them opened suddenly only for Fred and George to poke their heads out together. "We found an empty one." Fred declared, clearly stating the obvious.

"Care to join us Malfoy?" George invited with a grin and all three Gryffindors were pretty sure the blonde boy would turn the offer down.

"And why would he want to sit with a bunch of Gryffindorks?" A snobby voice came from behind them and all four teenagers turned their heads to see Bethany Zabini standing there with a couple of other Slytherins.

Harry shook his head lightly at the cliche insult before turning to look at Draco. "I'll see you later at the Sorting Feast then."

"No, no, wait a moment Snape." Bethany stopped him, a small sneer on her face. "Why don't you come and sit with us?"

Harry rose an eyebrow at the girl, glancing from her to the other Slytherins beside and behind her who all looked suitably sneery and intimidating. Fred and George looked annoyed which was rare of either of them, but understandable. After all, it didn't take an alchemist to realise that the offer was anything but sincere. "No thank you Zabini, but I appreciate the offer." He answered in a falsely sweet tone.

"Why not? The company of Slytherins not good enough for you?" The girl challenged with a glare.

"That's not a particularly intelligent accusation considering I spent my entire Summer holidays in the company of three Slytherins, past and present." Harry replied easily, making sure to remain pleasant at all times; he would not be sucked into an argument with the girl.

"I think it's time for you to shut up now Beth." Draco seethed to her angrily, clearly not impressed with her treatment of his best friend. The girl gave a small snort and crossed her arms in a huff. The blonde boy just shot her a glare before turning to Harry once again. "I'll see you later." He told the dark haired boy gently before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. When the blonde straightened up, he sent a smirk in Bethany's direction before easily strolling off down the corridor.

Bethany stared after Draco in horror before turning an absolutely poisonous glare onto Harry. She stepped right up to him and leaned in closely, their noses almost touching. They were exactly the same height so they were completely eye to eye. "Just remember I'm the one he's shagging, not you." She hissed in his ear angrily, so only he could hear, before floucing off, making sure to push past Harry's shoulder roughly as she did so. The other few Slytherin who were there followed on behind her wordlessly and soon Harry was left alone in the corridor.

"Anyone who ever dates a Slytherin is mental." Fred mused as he rested his chin on Harry's shoulder and peering off after all the Slytherins.

"Anyone who ever dates Bethany Zabini is mental." George corrected, coming to stand on Harry's other side.

"Hey!" The dark haired boy protested, sticking up for his absent best friend.

"Oh please Harry, Malfoy's not dating Zabini." George snorted in amusement.

"They're, to put it delicately for your sake, friends with benefits." Fred grinned.

"How do you know?" Harry inquired curiously, his mind only half on the question as he looked off down the length of the train and saw Blaise Zabini watching him from just outside a carriage several carriages down.

"Because it's not only painfully obvious that he has no romantic interest in Zabini..." Fred answered just as Blaise seemed to realise that Harry had noticed him and hurriedly stepped into the compartment he was standing in front of.

"It's also painfully obvious that he totally fancies the pants off of you." George finished for his twin as Harry returned his full attention to the twins.

"What!" Harry gasped, not completely sure he had heard his two friends correctly.

"Oh c'mon Harry! You can't honestly tell us you havne't noticed he's got a thing for you!" Fred laughed loudly.

"No I haven't and if you're going to insist on yelling like that then get inside the bloody compartment and shut the door!" Harry hissed quickly, shoving the two Weasleys into the compartment. "I do not want the entire student population of Hogwarts to hear such stupid ideas."

"Hardly stupid ideas as they're incredibly accurate truths." George teased as he stretched out lazily on one of the seats.

"And you don't have to worry about people over-hearing, it's already pretty widely known, at least in Gryffindor." Fred revealed gleefully as he lifted his brother's legs and sat down before lowering the legs onto his lap.

"But it's not true! Draco's just my friend, he's always been my friend, that's why we're comfortable enough to hug and kiss each other occassionally." The dark haired boy protested, plonking himself down on the seat opposite the brothers.

"From what I've seen, it's usually Malfoy doing the kissing and initiating the hugging." George pointed out easily.

"But..." Harry struggled, floundering for more reasons to argue. "You just said so yourself; he's with Zabini in whatever shape or form that might be."

"We're thinking he's just using her as a release until he thinks you're ready for a relationship with him." Fred replied in a rather nonchalant tone.

"We are rather disappointed that he didn't have enough control to wait for you though." George added with a sigh.

"But nobody's perfect..."

"...Not even Malfoy."

Before Harry could make a reply, the door to the compartment slid open to reveal both Hermione and Ginny. "You haven't seen Ron or John around have you?" Hermione inquired, glancing at each of the three boys in turn.

"No, sorry." Harry replied first with a small shake of his head.

"Would've thought they'd be with you if they were going to be anywhere." George mused.

"No, I haven't seen either of them since just before Mum and Dad took me through the barrier and onto the platform." Ginny spoke up, curiously keeping her eyes off of Harry at all cost.

"And we've looked all over the train, I don't think they're even on it." Hermione told them.

Harry's eyes slowly filled with realisation and he gave a small, breathy laugh. "Draco must have done something to the barrier; he mentioned playing a practical joke on Potter and he had his wand out just before we got onto the train."

"Sealing the barrier onto Platform 9 and 3/4?" Fred asked in dibelief.

"Wicked." George said with a grin as he nodded his head slightly.

"It's not wicked!" Hermione insisted indignantly. "How are they supposed to get to Hogwarts now?"

"Dad'll probably take 'em in the car." Fred shrugged simply, effectively bringing that conversation to an end.

Harry turned to look at the two girls and gave them a welcoming smile. "Do you want to join us since Ron and Potter aren't here to sit with?"

"Oh, erm, thank you." Hermione replied quietly, a slight blush covering her cheeks just as Ginny's face lit up bright red. They stepped fully into the compartment, the older girl sliding shut the compartment door once they were. Then they settled down on the same side as Harry, Hermione sitting next to him and Ginny sitting next to her.

"So, what's this about a car?" Harry asked Fred and George curiously.

"Oh mate, you should see it, it's wicked." Fred gushed in awe, his eyes almost going starry at the thought.

"Wouldn't it take too long to drive from London to Hogwarts though? They'll miss the Sorting Ceremony." Hermione pointed out reasonably, obviously not knowing about the car either.

"Ah, that's the beauty of it; it flies." George told them gleefully.

"It flies?" Harry repeated in surprise.

"And how exactly does it do that?" Hermione inquired, sounding half sceptical and half curious despite herself.

"A bit like that." George said from where he was twisted around to look out of the window beside his head. Everyone turned their heads to look out of the window and were all surprised to see the car in discussion roll out from underneath the bridge they were currently passing over.

"Never seen Dad drive like that before." Fred grinned in amusement as the car did another barrel roll.

"I don't think it's Dad who's driving." Ginny murmured just as it became clear that it was actually Ron who was in the driving seat.

"Oh my Goddess, what the Hell does he think he's doing!" Harry gasped in horror, watching as the car swirved dangerously close to the side of the train.

"Why isn't Dad driving?" Ginny wondered, getting out of her seat to get a better look.

"Why didn't they tell us they were going to steal the car!" George cried indignantly.

"Mum's gonna kill him." Fred breathed, barely containing a laugh just as the car swirved again and went over the top of the train, out of their sight.

2nd September 1992: Morning

Harry took a small sip of his pumpkin juice before returning to his small bowl of yogurt and fruit as he half paid attention to what Fred and George in front of him were saying and half paid attention to what Potter and Ron were doing beside him. The twins were talking about Quidditch while the two younger boys next to him were trying to repair Potter's broken wand. Harry was actually suprised when they arrived at Hogwarts alive considering the way they were driving. Granted, Potter's wand had somehow snapped in half and they were now trying to fix it with Sellotape, but the two boys themselves had come out of the whole experience unscathed.

Potter finished with his wand and held it up pathetically. "Say it, I'm doomed." He sighed.

"You're doomed." Ron agreed sympathetically.

"Why don't you just get your parents to buy you a new wand Potter; after all, isn't your family just oh so rich?" Harry asked before licking the yogurt off of his spoon idly.

"None of your business Snape." Potter snapped angrily as he tried to pull the length of Sellotape away from his wand.

"His parents are refusing to buy him a new one; said it serves him right for stealing the car." Hermione spoke up.

"Hermione!" Potter cried indignantly.

"Oh for goodness sake John, it was a civil enough question, don't be so petty." She scolded with a slight frown.

Potter looked as though he was about to reply to that but the sudden bright flash of a camera startled them all, Harry the most as it happened right in front of him. He turned to look and found that there was a camera practically in his face. The camera was lowered to reveal a young blonde boy who Harry kind of recognised from the Sorting the previous evening. "Hi Harry, I'm Colin Creevey, I'm in Gryffindor too." The boy introduced himself enthustiastically.

"Oh, erm, nice to meet you Colin." The older boy greeted with a weak smile, a little un-nerved by the First Years enthusiasm for meeting him.

"Hey Ron," a boy further up the table, whose name Harry thought was Dean Something-or-Other, interrupted suddenly, catching all their attention. "Isn't that your owl?

All eyes of the surrounding area of the Gryffindor table were instantly looking up to see an owl sweep down towards them. Then, when it came to actually landing, it crashed right into a bowl of dry cereal sending it spilling out everywhere. The bird seemed completely unphased though and just dropped the envelope in front of Ron before turning and flying off again. A few people turned to watch it go but Harry kept his eyes on Ron's mail, his eyes slightly wide.

"Look everyone!" An Irish voice alerted gleefully. "Weasley's got himself a Howler." Ron looked around at everyone in horror and most people just watching him in amusement, especially Fred and George.

"You better open it Ron. I ignored one from my gran once; it was awful." Neville told them all, sounding rather nervous despite the fact it wasn't even him who had the Howler now.

After a few more moments of fearful staring at the envelope, Ron broke the wax seal with a slightly shakey grip. Just as he let it go, it began its message and the entire Great Hall plunged into silence: "Ronald Weasley! How dare you steal that car!" It yelled in the voice of Mrs Weasley, jerking very close to Ron's face making him draw back slightly. "Your father's now facing an enquiry at work and it is all your fault! If you set even one toe out of line, we'll bring you straight back home!" There was a pause then and the letter turned to look down the table and everyone copied it. "And Ginny darling, congratulations on making Gryffindor; your father and I are so proud." Ginny gave a weak smile at that but mostly just looked embarrassed.

The Howler finished everything off by blowing a raspberry in Ron's face and then tearing itself up into little pieces. Ron looked up from it still looking un-nerved and found that most people were still watching him in amusement. In fact, the only person that was looking at him in sympathy was Harry and Ron found himself slightly cheered up by that.

5th September 1992: Evening

The corridor was completely still and silent save for Harry who silently wandered down it, on his way back to Gryffindor Tower. He trudged along in a rather melancholy mood, his neck stiff and sore and his hand cramped and painful. Four hours he had just spent with Gilderoy Lockhart, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart his mind corrected, helping him to answer his fan-mail as his detention for, apparently, talking in class. Harry was more than a little suspicious that it was simply a reason to get him on his own. Lockhart was the type of person that associated himself with other famous people simply to make himself more famous. It wouldn't have surprised the Fourth Year boy in the least if the new DADA professor was simply trying to make friends with him in a very odd way. Not that he wanted a friendship with the man if what Severus had told him about the blonde man was anything to go by.

Linking the fingers of both of his hands together behind his back, Harry stretched out his arms, pushing back against his linked fingers in order to stretch his muscles and crack his bones. When he relaxed again, he still felt stiff and as though he wanted to stretch again. He was idly wondering if there was such a thing as a stretching charm or at least a muscle relaxant one, or perhaps a potion, when a strange voice suddenly caught his attention. Harry came to an abrupt stop quickly in order to properly listen to the voice without the sound of his footsteps obscuring his hearing.

It was a low voice and also rather raspy...Or was it more hissing than raspy? It was definately speaking English because every so often Harry could make out the odd word, the most often of which was, disturbingly, "kill". The sound was too echoy and muffled to make out properly all the time though. There was also a sort of grinding noise which came along with the voice, like two rough surfaces being passed over each other.

Harry frowned as he looked around himself in an attempt to see where the voice was coming from. There was nothing or no one around him though. He quickly stepped over to the left-hand wall and pressed his ear up against it in an attempt to decide whether the voice was coming from the other side or even inside it. The volume of the voice didn't change though. After repeating the process on the right-hand wall and coming up with much the same results, he gave an annoyed huff and pushed away from the wall as he tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling as if the source of the noise would be right above him and in plain sight.

Then, as suddenly as the voice had come, it was gone and Harry was left once again in silence. He frowned in confusion and glanced around himself again, partly to see if there was anything that might obviously have been making the noise but also to see whether there was anyone around who he might be able to ask if they had heard it too. There was no one though; just him, alone, in the silent corridor.

13th September 1992: Morning

"Ugh, early morning Quidditch practice." Harry moaned through a yawn as he stretched his arms and back. "Why did I ever agree to be Seeker again?"

"Because you're too soft." George grinned from next to Fred who was next to the dark haired boy.

"Oh yeah." He grunted in a monotone.

"We're glad you're too soft though." Fred put in quickly.

"Yeah, you'll win us the Cup this year." George agreed.

"Haven't you ever heard there's no i in team?" Harry asked with an amused grin of his own.

"Yes, but, there is in Quidditch and everyone knows that it's the Seeker who..." Fred began to say but was abruptly cut off when Oliver Wood, who was leading them all out, suddenly spoke.

"What...? Ugh, I don't believe it." The Sixth Year captain groaned, his pace speeding up and making the rest of them speed up to keep up with him. It wasn't long before Harry and the rest of the team spotted the Slytherin Quidditch team, looking as though they were going to the same way the Gryffindors were. "Where'd you think you're going Flint?"

"Quidditch practice." The dark haired Sixth Year replied casually but his tone implied he knew he was being smart. Harry glanced to the side to catch Draco's eye and, upon doing so, sent the blonde a smile in greeting.

"I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today." Oliver insisted just as Draco gave Harry a smile in return.

"Easy there Wood, I've got a note." Flint sneered as he handed the Scottish boy a roll of parchment.

Oliver gave the Slytherin a withering look before taking the parchment and opening it. "I, Professor Severus Snape, here by give permission for the Slytherin team to use the pitch this morning in order to train their new Seeker." He crumpled the paper and looked up, clearly unimpressed. "You've got a new Seeker; who?"

Flint smirked and stepped aside in order to allow the new Seeker to step forward. "Zabini?" Harry gasped upon seeing the girl as he too stepped forward.

"That's right Snape." Bethany smirked, leaning against her broom in a pose-like stance, also clearly emphasising the broom, making half the Gryffindor team roll their eyes. "And that's not the only new thing this year."

Just then, Ron, Hermione and Potter came over to see what was going on. However, no one really noticed them as Fred spoke. "Hey, those are Numbus 2001s."

"Where the Hell did you get those?" Ron asked sounding shocked.

"A gift from Bethany's father." Flint revealed with a superior grin.

"Unlike some people Weasley, my father can afford the best." Bethany sneered to the youngest male Weasley before turning it onto Fred and George.

"At least no one of the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in; they got in on pure talent." Hermione said snidely and both Potter and Ron grinned in amusement either side of her. Harry glanced over to Draco and was mildly surprised to see that the blonde's mouth had curved at the edges slightly in appreciation of the comment.

Bethany was clearly less than amused with it though and she stepped closer to the group of Second Year Gryffindors, glaring hatefully at Hermione. "Who asked you? You filthy little Mud-blood." A small gasp came from the Gryffindor team and Hermione's lips tightened in a thin line, her eyes instantly taking on a suspicious-looking shine.

Harry frowned darkly as he stepped forward, right up to the Slytherin girl. "You're out of line Zabini." He seethed furiously, his gaze not relaxing for even a moment.

"You'll pay for that one Zabini, prepare to eat slugs!" Potter threatened and he pulled out his Sellotaped wand and pointed it towards the girl.

"Wait, Potter!" Harry tried but the warning went unheard.

As Harry's arm was yanked by Draco in order to pull him out of harm's way, Potter flicked his broken wand at Bethany only for the curse to backfire on him, sending him sailing back a good few feet. Ron and Hermione were running to his side in an instant and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, except for Harry and Fred and George who all hung back slightly, had soon followed. All the Slytherins, including Draco, snickered at what had happened and Harry couldn't really blame them; he honestly felt like laughing at Potter's stupidity as well but he was a Gryffindor and laughing at one of his own was not really something he could do.

From where they were all standing, none of them, Gryffindor or Slytherin, could hear what was being said by the group crowded around Potter ahead of them. It was only when everyone suddenly took a step backwards with a joint cry of disgust that they managed to get an idea of what was happening. The hex that Potter had been intending for Bethany had backfired and he was now spewing rather fat, slimy slugs. Harry noticed that Colin was standing just to the side and seemed to be trying to take a picture. The First Year was pushed out of the way though as Ron and Hermione began to pull Potter away, Harry hearing that they were going to take him to Hagrid as they passed him.

Everyone watched the three Second Year Gryffindors hurry off and Harry only stopped when he realised that someone was glaring at him rather hatefully. He turned his gaze and head slightly to see that it was, unsurprisingly, Bethany. After staring back at her for a few seconds, he spoke: "What?"

"Him pulling you out of the way meant nothing." She told him with a quiet anger.

Harry easily realised what exactly she was talking about; if Draco'd had enough time to pull Harry out of the way, why didn't he pull Bethany out of the way when she was the one immediately at risk? The dark haired boy shook his head slightly in knowing disbelief. Maybe Fred and George'd had a point about Draco and Bethany's relationship. Why did he choose to pull Harry away when he wasn't even the one at any real risk?

"C'mon Harry," Fred said suddenly, giving Harry's arm a gentle jostle to get his attention. "We're gonna go practice by the lake, there's no point trying to reason with these lot."

"All right." Harry said with a nod, turning his head to look at his friend.

For a moment he glanced back at Bethany who was still looking like she wanted to kill him. He paid her no real mind and simply turned away, following as Fred began to head forward. When he passed by Draco, Harry gave him a smile. "I'll see you later." He said, mostly just to tick off Bethany, as he passed him by, following Fred and the rest of the Gryffindor team towards the lake.

1st October 1992: Midday

Harry sat on his own at the Gryffindor table, eating a sandwich with one hand while he flipped through a text book resting on the table beside his plate. Fred and George had earned themselves a detention for passing notes between each other in Muggle Studies. Harry had been included in the note passing but hadn't been noticed somehow. So, Harry was on his own and, as he always did when he was on his own, he was doing a bit of work which he wouldn't get done when the twins were around.

"Hi Harry." A timid voice greeted from behind him.

Harry lifted his head and looked to the side to see Ginny Weasley standing there looking rather awkward. It didn't escape his notice that there were several other First Year girls further up the table watching their interaction eagerly. "Hey Ginny." He answered with one of his usual smiles which only seemed to make Ginny blush and become more awkward with herself. "How have you found your first month at Hogwarts?"

"It's been good." She told him, staring down at her feet.

"I see you've had no trouble in making friends." He noted in amusement, his eyes flickering over to the girls further down.

Ginny looked up then and turned around to look at her friends. She must have glared at them or something because they all quickly looked away, suddenly becoming very busy with their food. "Sorry about that." She murmured, turning back towards the older boy.

"Don't worry about it, I'm more than used to it." He assured her kindly. "At least none of them had cameras unlike a certain new First Year I know." He sighed as he glanced to the right to see Colin Creevey sitting further up the table. When his gaze was noticed by the enthustiastic boy, he was treated to an over-enthustiastic wave. Harry gave his number one fan-boy a small wave and a somewhat embarrassed smile back before returning his attention to Ginny. "Would you like to join me? I can put this on hold for a little while longer." He said while gesturing to the open text book.

"Oh, no, I couldn't; I really just came over to say hi. I, uh, I should be getting back to my friends. Not that I don't appreciate the offer or anything, it's just I said I'd only be a minute and..."

"Ginny." Harry interrupted the girl's rambling. She looked at him nervously and he just gave her a reassuring smile. "If you want to be with your friends then that's fair enough. I'll see you later in the common room no doubt."

That seemed to make Ginny's day as her face lit up and she nodded vigorously. "See you later Harry." She gushed before turning away and hurrying back over to her friends before Harry even had a chance to say bye. He watched her go back and subsequently fall into enthustiastic conversation with her friends and a faint blush covered his cheeks as he realised what it probably was that had just happened.

17th October 1992: Night

The sound of dripping water. Each drip echoing before fading into silence. Then another drip sounded and the same thing happened. The process carried on; a continuous cycle.

He stood in a void of darkness as always, not that He could see; His head was bowed and His eyes were closed. There was nothing around Him and the only sound was that of the dripping water. Then, a sliding sound; something which was already slick passing over a hard, damp surface. The drips continued with the sliding sound. It all continued together and throughout the time, He did not lift His head or open His eyes. Even when the sliding sound stopped, He didn't react. Just stood there, in the darkness.

The dripping had stopped. Everything was silent.

31st October 1992: Evening

"Do neither of you know the meaning of the words I'm not hungry?" Harry muttered as he was dragged by his hand down a corridor on the way to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Of course you're hungry." Fred insisted from just slightly in front of him and George, George being the one who was doing the dragging.

"Oh, so now you're an expert in how I think and what I feel?" The dark haired boy grunted.

"Naturally." Fred replied with a grin, unphased by Harry's crankiness.

"Even if you don't eat anything, it's probably best you come to dinner; you know your dad and Draco will only worry if you don't." George pointed out reasonably.

"Oi, don't encourage him not to eat." Fred scolded, shooting his brother a glare. "Remember what happened in Second Year when he skipped meals."

"Oh c'mon Fred, that was two years ago. I'm sure he's old enough now to be able to manage without a meal and not end up passing..."

"Sshh!" Harry hushed suddenly, cutting George off abrubtly.

"Oh that's nice, and there was me trying to stick up..."

"No, no listen!" Harry insisted. They were all silent for several seconds until Harry looked at them both. "Don't you hear that?"

"Hear what?" George asked with a confused friend as he looked around the surrounding corridor.

"That voice." Harry answered quietly, sounding a little as if he was in a dream, as his hand dropped from George's and he wanded over to the left-hand wall.

"What voice?" Fred asked in a slightly concerned tone, watching as the dark haired boy stood by the wall with his back to them.

Harry listened as carefully as he could, memories of the day last month which he had heard that exact sound. The morning after he had heard it the first time, he had passed it off as a result of him being so tired at the moment he had heard it and that had been enough for him. Now however, he was forced to rethink that theory. Here he was hearing the same voice as before and if anything it was a little louder than last time and just a little clearer. He couldn't blame it on being tired now because he wasn't. He couldn't even blame it on being too hungry because he wasn't. There was something moving around somewhere and the one word that Harry could make out most clearly, most often was that same word as before; "kill".

"It's moving..." Harry told them in a murmur, half sounding as though he was talking to himself. "I think...I think it's going to kill!" He gasped, his voice perking up a bit. Seconds later, he had pushed away form the wall and had darted off down the corridor, Fred and George following quickly, calling after him.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, Harry looked either side of himself, realising in frustration that the voice had stopped now. As he looked around, he noticed something by the window a few paces away from where he was currently standing. Slowly and carefully, he made his way over towards the window just as Fred and George caught up with him. They slowed to a stop and checked to see which way Harry had gone before hurrying after him, both of them looking down at the floor curiously as they did so.

"Why is the floor all wet?" George mused as they moved, their footsteps making little splashing sounds.

"Maybe someone flooded the bathroom." Fred suggested.

"Sounds like something we'd do." George grinned as they twins reached Harry's side and looked down at what he was looking at. A row of spiders were scuttling along the edge of the wall and up the wall to go out of the window. "Never seen spiders do that before."

"Ants yeah, spiders no." Fred agreed just as Harry looked to his side slightly and caught sight of the reflection of something in the water a little further up the corridor.

Lifting his gaze, Harry's mouth dropped open slightly and he stepped forward to get a better look at what it was he had seen. The attentions of Fred and George were captured with that movement and they almost instantly saw what it was that had Harry so shocked. Together, all three boys forgot about the spiders and approached the wall which held the sight in question.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir; beware." Harry read out quietly, his eyes never straying from the red, streaked writing on the wall in front of them.

"Is it just me or does that look like blood?" George asked with a wrinkling of his nose.

"Oh no..." Harry whispered as he caught sight of something else. Moving forward, he kept his gaze slightly raised, his eyes sad as he looked up at the hanging form of a rather stiff looking of a cat hanging from a torch holder attached to the wall.

Mrs Norris.

For a couple of minutes, he and Fred and George stood there looking at the poor cat in horror. Then, when the sound of dozens of footsteps reached them, Harry spun around on his heel. Fred and George gave him a slightly apprehensive look, knowing how bad all this would make them appear. As practically every student in the school reached them, all stopping to take a good look, Harry bit back a groan; he was going to get blamed for this, he just knew it.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

1st November 1992: Early Morning

Harry trudged up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower in a grim mood which was mirrored by his two friends in front of him. They had only just been released from Professor Dumbledore's office having spent the last few hours going over what had happened just before everyone had arrived on the scene of Mrs Norris' petrifying. Why they had spent so long going over it was unclear but it was now a little bit past midnight and all Harry wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for the next thousand years. Being threatened by Filch, having to calm down his father and Draco because of that threat and then being questioned for several hours in a row by Dumbledore with Severus yelling to try and defend him all the way though was most tiring.

"It's a bit funny isn't it?" Fred spoke up suddenly, stopping half way through a step.

"Funny?" Harry repeated in confusion, not understanding what the red haired boy was talking about and also being forced to stop as well.

"I mean, you hear this voice, a voice only you can hear, and then Mrs Norris turns up petrified? It's just funny, that's all." He elaborated, his tone taking on a rather defeated quality at the end.

"Funny strange, not funny ha ha." George clarified.

"I still say you should've told your dad and Dumbledore about that voice." Fred told Harry, giving the dark haired boy a pointed look.

"I don't want to worry them." Harry replied simply, moving once again in an attempt to avoid the on-coming conversation. During a moment of something akin to panic, Harry had reverted to his old habit of lying. This time, it was more because he didn't want to be labelled as crazy or anything of the such though. After all, hearing voices not within the context of a vision wasn't something you usually admit to willingly.

"But Harry..." Fred tried to argue, stepping in front of Harry to stop him from carrying on.

"I'm sure it was nothing, okay?" The dark haired boy assured them both, his tone clearly implying that that was the end of the conversation. The two Weasley brothers could only give weak nods to that, unable to push their friend into doing something if he didn't want to.

Without further word, they carried on up the stairs, towards the Gryffindor Tower.

7th November 1992: Morning

"Having fun Snape?"

Harry rolled his eyes at the comment from the Slytherin Seeker who he thought he had managed to lose a few minutes ago. Obviously not though as she was now hovering just next to him with a mocking sneer on her face. Twenty minutes into the game and there was no sign of the snitch and Bethany seemed to be more intent on stalking him than playing the game.

"Maybe you should concentrate on the snitch rather than tormenting me." Harry suggested easily as he looked around himself for the tell-tale glint of gold. "I'm sure your team would appreciate it."

"Don't you mean Draco?" Bethany sneered.

"No, I mean the your team. Maybe you should clean your ears out so that you can hear a bit better hmm?" The dark haired boy suggested.

"Maybe you should shut up." The girl muttered.

Harry grinned slightly and once again glanced around the pitch. He saw Oliver block a throw from a Slytherin which was then caught by a second Slytherin just as Draco whacked a bludger in the Sixth Year Gryffindor's direction. The ball slammed into the end of Oliver's broom, jerking him roughly and causing him to almost over-balance. While he tried to get himself under control again, the Slytherin's managed to score. Cheering rose up from the Slytherin stands but Harry glanced over to the teacher's stands to see the reaction of two specific people.

There, sitting side by side with perfectly straight backs and small smirks on their faces, were Severus and Lucius. When Harry had been told that his godfather was visiting the school and would be watching this match, the dark haired boy had instantly been completely petrified. He always had enough trouble knowing that his father was watching him. To know that Lucius was also watching him just made things twice as bad. Plus, there was the fact that Harry knew that honestly, both Severus and Lucius were rooting against him and for Draco. After all, Draco played for Slytherin and they were all Slytherins. Harry played for Gryffindor, the mortal enemies of Slytherins. Knowing that he had no real support from his family was hard but it was nothing he could change or that he could even discuss with his family.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed a rapidly incoming bludger. It took all of his strength to quickly steer himself out of its path but that did mean that it continued on towards Bethany who actually screamed when she saw it coming. It was as Bethany moved that Harry caught sight of the snitch; the girl had been blocking his view of it without even realising. There was no way Slytherin was going to get anywhere if they kept her as their Seeker. Maybe he'd mention something to Draco, after all, what was the point of playing against someone so useless? It just made everything terribly boring.

Harry darted towards the snitch, passing over Bethany and making her squeal in fear. He paid her no mind, not even bothered to see when she finally realised what was going on and took up the chase as well. It happened eventually, though not as fast as Harry expected, and she popped up very suddenly, greeting him by jabbing him in the shoulder with her elbow. He merely raised an eyebrow in her direction, something she may or may not have seen, and dipped and turned at the same time in order to move underneath the house stands, always keeping one eye on the snitch.

Bethany had soon joined him again and also resumed her rough play. Harry never hit her back, he was a pacifist after all, but due to his superior flying skills, he was able to dodge her for the most part. They both used the same brooms, Nimbus 2001s, as Harry had received his as his fourteenth birthday present from Lucius. So with their equal flight speeds and his advanced flying skills, Harry had the clear advantage in the situation.

Up ahead, Harry suddenly caught sight of Colin Creevey, his camera held up ready to snap a picture at the exact moment. Harry tried to call for him to get out of the way before he got himself hurt but his voice was lost in the wind and all he could do was do his best to swerve around the First Year. The bright flash of the picture being taken didn't help in the least and he found himself dazed for a good few seconds, but still managed to avoid the boy. Bethany, although she successfully managed to avoid Colin, lost control when the flash blinded her. She lowered herself down too low and the front end of her broom caught the edge of the pitch and she was sent head over heels, landing on her backside heavily, winding herself and bruising her tail-bone.

Harry couldn't help but grin in amusement at the girl's situation and he spared a very quick glance over his shoulder to where she was now laying on her back on the pitch. Satisfied that she wasn't going to get back up, Harry relaxed completely and turned back to the snitch just in front of him. It was within his arm length so he reached out for it, making sure to keep a steady grip on his broom as he did so. Unfortunately, he was so preoccupied with the snitch that he failed to see the bludger that came speeding towards him or, more precisely, his out-stretched arm.

The bludger connected with Harry's arm with a sickening crack and he cried out as shots of pain lanced through the limb with the impact. A gasp rose from the audience but he couldn't afford to pay that any mind at that moment. Now he really had to catch the snitch and finish the game if only so he could get his arm healed. He quickly brought his broken arm against his chest protectively and stretched out with his good one.

It was difficult to keep his balance and awkward to just reach out that little bit further, the wings of the golden ball actually brushing against his finger-tips, but he managed it. His fingers closed around the snitch though the action did cause him to over-balance. He fell forward over his broom in a roll and then rolled another time on the ground before he slid to a stop in the fine sand directly underneath the Gryffindor goals. Once he had stopped, he let out a pained whine and closed his eyes. He heard the sounds of people landing and soon felt the presences of people standing over him.

"Harry, are you all right?" That was George.

"No, I think my arm's broken." Harry replied as he tried to sit up a little when he felt arms come around his back to help him. His team was gathered around him now as well as several other people from Gryffindor including Hermione and Ginny.

"We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey." Hermione insisted and the twins began to lift him up.

"Ah, no need for that." Professor Lockhart said as he reached them all, coming to kneel down beside Harry, discreetly forcing him back down as he did so. "I can fix that broken arm for you."

"No!" Harry cried quickly. "No, not you." He finished a little more sedately.

"Oh, he's delirious from the pain, doesn't know what he's saying." The man told everyone easily as he pulled his wand out, completely ignoring Harry's wishes. "Now Harry, I assure you that this won't hurt a bit." He assured as he gently eased the sleeve of his Quidditch robe, causing the teenager to wince slightly. "Bracium Imendo." Lockhart spoke as he pointed the tip of his wand to Harry's injured arm and the tip glowed faintly. The result was slightly nauseating. Once the glow had faded, Harry's arm was very limp. His eyes widened in horror when Lockhart lifted his arm for him and revealed that the arm was now completely boneless. Everyone around all let out sounds of disgust but Harry could only stare at his arm, his face gone pale. "Ahh, well, yes, that, um, that can sometimes happen." Lockhart said unsurely."But, the, uh, the point is, you are no longer in pain and the bones are clearly not broken."

"There aren't any bones left to be broken!" George cried indignantly.

"Yes, but it is much more flexible now." The blonde man pointed out, folding the arm all the way back before letting it spring back forward.

"Oi, stop playing with it!" Fred glared, batting the professor's hand away.

"C'mon Harry, let's get you to the Infirmary." George urged as he and his twin hauled the slightly shocked, pale boy onto his feet and led him away, the gathered Gryffindors all trailing along after him.

In the professors' stands, Severus and Lucius rose to their feet, outwardly looking calm and collected, not in the least worried or flustered. On the other side of the Quidditch pitch to where Harry was being practically dragged away stood Draco, glaring off towards the cluster of Gryffindors darkly.

8th November 1992: Early Morning

He barely breathed for fear of being discovered and every single muscle in his body felt like they were tensed noticeably. He couldn't quite get himself to relax though. Not that it should matter as he was hardly the centre of the attention for once.

He was in the Infirmary and had been since the Quidditch match. He'd been given a dose of Skele-Grow to regrow the bones in his arm and was therefore required to stay over-night so that Madam Pomfrey could keep an eye on him. Despite the fact he hadn't been able to get out of bed, he had managed to save Professor Lockhart from a serious amount of trouble from his father and godfather when they found out the DADA professor had actually made the situation a whole lot worse. Neither Slytherin had been very happy with letting the stupid man get away with it scot-free but had conceded when Harry had treated them with the silent treatment; Lucius had been especially eager to do nothing to get on his godson's bad side, memories of the summer still fresh in his mind.

And now Harry was there, in the Infirmary, awake, and eaves-dropping on something he probably shouldn't be. There had been another attack. Just over a week after Mrs Norris' petrifying and now there had been another and this time it was so much worse, because this time it had happened to a person.

Colin Creevey.

It was unbelievable. Only a few hours ago, Harry had been yelling for the boy to get out of his way when he was in pursuit of the snitch. And now the First Year was at the opposite end of the Infirmary as he was, petrified.

How had it happened? And why had it been poor Colin? He had never done anything to anyone...Well, unless you count being a little over-enthusiastic about some things. Had he just been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or was there an actual reason why it had happened to him? Harry didn't know anything in detail but Hermione had told him a bit about the Chamber of Secrets, just the amount she had been able to wheedle out of Professor Binns. It was home to a monster; could it be the monster that had attacked Colin? And would it attack again? And was it just a coincidence that he had heard the strange voice again just a few minutes earlier?

Harry listened carefully as the teachers discussed the boy's condition and pondered over his camera. And then he heard it; Professor Dumbledore admitting that the Chamber of Secrets had, indeed, been opened. The dark haired boy's heart sank upon hearing that and he wasn't sure why. A sinking feeling of dread made him go cold and he closed his eyes worriedly, hoping against hope that this wasn't the beginning of something terrible.

8th November 1992: Morning

"How're you feeling this morning Harry?" Hermione asked him with a shy smile as he passed her on his way to take his seat next to Fred and George further up the table to eat breakfast.

"Fine thanks Hermione." Harry smiled back to her.

"Was it as painful and Madam Pomfrey said it was going to be?" Ron inquired curiously, from across the table where he was sitting next to Potter.

"Oh yeah, she wasn't exaggerating in the least; it was horrible, trust me." The dark haired teenager assured with good humour.

"It was your own stupid fault Snape." Potter accused with a glare. "Imagine not noticing a bludger hurtling towards you. Maybe it's time for you to get a stronger prescription for your lenses."

Harry knew that that particular comment was made in nothing but malice but he wasn't in such a great mood and felt like annoying the little snot of a Second Year to cheer himself up a little. "Thanks for the suggestion Potter, maybe it is time to get my eye re-tested." He smiled sweetly before continuing on his way down the table.

"What was that we just saw Harry?" Fred teased playfully when he reached them.

"You smiling at Potter?" George gasped in mock-horror as Harry sat down across from them. "Never would've thought we'd see the day." And Fred nodded along in agreement. Harry's only reply was to send them a withering look before slumping forward on the table and burying his head in his arms.

The twins exchanged slightly startled looks before turning back to look at their friend with worried gazes. "You all right mate?" Fred asked unsurely.

"There's been another attack only this time it was on a person." Harry muttered, not lifting his head and the two Weasley's only just heard him.

"An attack?" George echoed in confusion.

"You mean someone's been petrified?" Fred gasped, coming to the correct conclusion.

"Colin Creevey." Harry told them in a monotone, finally lifting his head though only to rub his eyes in agitation.

"No way..." George breathed.

"It'll be okay though." Fred pointed out quickly in order to reassure his friend. "Professor Sprout's got all those Mandrakes to make a cure, it's not gonna be forever."

"That's not the point." Harry disagreed, shaking his head a little. "Something's happening; it's only going to get worse."

"How do you know?" George asked quietly.

"Have you had another vision?" Fred inquired in a whisper.

"No, it's just...It's just a feeling I've got..." Harry murmured quickly just as a loud cry came from the Head Table.

Within a second, all eyes were directed to the front. A few seconds later and the entire Great Hall was in hysterics at the sight that was before them. Professor Lockhart no longer looked like Professor Lockhart. Instead of his usual pale skinned, blue eyed, blonde haired perfection there was a pink skinned, black eyed, stubbly face of a pig. Everyone was laughing, even Severus though his was more or a wide smirk and a slight raising and dropping of his shoulders.

Harry's eyes widened in delight at the sight and he glanced at Fred and George, naturally expecting this to be a stunt of theirs. However, the display was clearly a surprise to them as well as they both looked completely shocked. With a confused frown, the dark haired boy glanced around himself to see if there was anyone who may have been the one responsible. It was when his eyes landed on the Slytherin table that he got his answer.

Draco was sitting there rather sedately, possibly the only one in the Great Hall that was not currently howling with laughter or too surprised to move. When the blonde noticed that Harry was looking right at him, he quirked an eyebrow and gave him a small smirk as he lifted his goblet of pumpkin juice in a salute. Harry could do nothing more than let out a small, breathy laugh of disbelief before he glanced over to the Head Table where Lockhart was making a speedy retreat out of the side door.

"Oh Merlin, that was too good! Too good!" George panted through his laughter.

"Oh my ribs, my poor ribs." Fred spluttered, his arms holding both of his sides as he leaned forward, over-come with his breathless laughter.

"We have got to find out who did that and worship them forever." George gasped, his laughter starting to calm but his enthusiasm over the situation as alive as ever.

"It was Draco." Harry told them quietly, so that no one else over-heard him saying it; the last thing he needed was for it to become common knowledge and get back to the professors.

"You're kidding me!" George gasped again, his eyes lighting up and his voice filled with awe.

"I am now Draco Malfoy's number one fan-boy!" Fred declared to the other two and Harry suspected he would've made it to the entire Great Hall if it wasn't for the fact he was apparently having a bit of trouble breathing calmly at that moment.

"Do you reckon he'll tell us how he did it?" George asked Harry eagerly.

"I, uh, I don't know. You could always try or I could ask him for..."

"Really? You'd get him to tell you?" Fred immediately pounced on that half spoken offer.

"Err, well, I can't promise anything." Harry pointed out weakly.

"Yeah, but if he's gonna tell anyone anything, he'll tell you." George pointed out, reaching for his goblet of pumpkin juice now that he'd finally stopped laughing.

"That's true, after all, he loooooves you." Fred teased, stretching out the word "love" as he leaned in closer to Harry playfully.

"Shut up you prat." Harry grumbled good-naturedly, pushing the red head away. "I can't promise anything but I will ask him during Defense Against the Dark Arts later on."

"That's all we ask." Fred and George said in unison, beaming identical grins in Harry's direction.

8th November 1992: Afternoon

The moment that Harry, Fred and George had stepped into the DADA classroom for their lesson, the dark haired boy was pushed in the direction that led towards the desk where Draco was, curiously, sitting alone, an angry looking Bethany sitting at the desk behind him with some other girl. Harry shot a glare over his shoulder at his two friends who simply gave him twin grins and the thumbs-up. He rolled his eyes at them playfully before turning his attention to sitting next to Draco before the lesson started.

"Hi." He greeted his best friend with a small smile when he reached the side of the blonde's desk.

"Hey." Draco smiled in reply, shifting the bag of his on the desk over a bit and then gesturing to the seat next to him. "Saved you a seat."

"How comes?" Harry asked curiously as he lowered himself into the offered seat, pulling his bag off of his shoulder as he did so.

"I can save you a seat if I want to." Draco shrugged easily.

"Yeah, but it's hardly as if we sit next to each other all that often." The dark haired boy pointed out and it was true, they both had their own separate friends to sit next to most of the time.

"Yes, well, I just wanted you next to me during this lesson." The blonde answered with a light glare in the direction of the DADA teacher's office and rooms.

Harry followed his gaze, a small smile growing on his face as he realised the real reason Draco had saved him a seat. "He's not going to do anything to me in class Draco." He assured his friend with an amused tone.

"You don't know that." Draco muttered darkly, folding his arms and still glaring.

"It was an accident." Harry told him gently, the humour gone from his voice to be replaced with calming reassurance.

"One that he'll regret and will continue to regret if I have anything to do about it." The Slytherin replied, a malicious sneer crossing his features.

"How did you it?" The Gryffindor whispered quietly, leaning in closer to the other teenager so that he could be heard.

Draco gave him an amused smirk and leaned in even closer so that there was barely a breath between their faces. "Let's just say that he'll probably avoid sausages like the plague from now on."

15th November 1992: Night

The sound of dripping water. Each drip echoing before fading into silence. Then another drip sounded and the same thing happened. The process carried on; a continuous cycle.

He stood in a void of darkness as always, not that He could see; His head was bowed and His eyes were closed. There was nothing around Him and the only sound was that of the dripping water. Then, a sliding sound; something which was already slick passing over a damp surface. The drips continued with the sliding sound. It all continued together and throughout the time, He did not lift his head or open His eyes.

The sound of sliding grew louder and He was suddenly aware of a presence nearby. Still His eyes remained shut and He did not move. Slowly, a pressure beginning at His ankles and then curling, twisting upwards surrounded Him in a rather comfortable embrace. The sensation of whatever it was on His bare arms was odd: cold; slippery; softness covered by something stiff and protective. It was a protective hold; not painful but not allowing Him to move in any way or to be taken.

And then there was nothing again. No movement and the only sound was the dripping of water. Eventually the sensation of being wrapped in something seemed to fade and He was no longer sure if whatever it was that had been there was still there. If He opened His eyes, what would he see?

The dripping had stopped. Everything was silent.

20th November 1992: Evening

Harry's lips moved slightly as he silently read the small book in his right hand, trying his hardest to memorise a certain series of spells for his lesson with High Priest Sephiran that weekend. He really should have done it days ago or at least started but things had got in the way. So, he was just fitting it in at any odd moment he could spare, like right then, on his way down to the dungeons. He was going to pop into his father's rooms to spend some time with the man as it had been a while since they'd had a decent conversation.

Turning a corner into another familiar corridor of the dungeons, the sound of clanking glass caught his attention. He lifted his gaze and was rather surprised to see that the door to Severus' personal storage cupboard was open and there was the faint glow of a Lumos coming from it. Confused and slightly suspicious, Harry carefully approached the store room, making sure to keep completely silent. When he had reached the door frame he poked his head around the side discreetly in order to see who it was inside. However, when he saw who it was exactly inside, discretion was immediately forgotten.

"Hermione!" He gasped, stepping out quickly into the door way, effectively blocking any hope of escape the Second Year girl may have had of escaping without confrontation.

Hermione spun around with a startled gasp, dropping whatever it was she had in her hands as she did so. Both of the Gryffindors winced as the bottle of some sort of green stuff shattered on the stone floor with a sharp sound, splinters of glass spreading across the floor if they escaped being held down by the thick green liquid. The frizzy haired girl had the sense to look embarrassed and flustered and she held her hands behind her back and kept her head down. The light of her Lumos was still glowing behind her back from where she held her wand.

"What are you in here?" Harry asked her gently, not wanting to go for the intimidating tell-me-everything-now-or-else approach.

"I, uh, I was getting some ingredients for a potion I wanted to try and make; just for practice." She answered, quickly adding that last bit on the end; adding it a bit too quickly really.

"And my father allowed you to root around here on your own?" Yeah right, not even he was allowed to do that and he was the man's son.

"He, well, he doesn't actually know..." Hermione admitted quietly, still not looking up and now fidgeting on her feet.

"So in other words you're stealing potions ingredients to make a potion for mere practice?" Harry sighed, not believing the story for a second. Hermione said nothing but that in itself spoke volumes. The dark haired boy sighed lightly and snaked his index fingers underneath his glasses, pressing each on either side of the bridge of his nose. "Have you done this before?"

"Once before." She admitted.

"Are you going to do it again?"

"No, no I won't." She assured quickly, hope shining through her voice as she looked up to meet his eye.

Harry kept his eyes on her for a few seconds more before releasing a tired sigh and closing his eyes; he was such a huge softie. "Alright, as long as you promise that this won't happen again, I won't tell anyone you were in here."

"Really?" Hermione checked enthusiastically, taking advantage of the fact Harry wasn't looking at her to discreetly pocket a vial that she'd had clasped in the hands behind her back.

"Yes, your secret's safe with me." He reassured, opening his eyes again and giving her a small smile. "Go back to the common room and I'll clean up the mess in here."

"Are you sure you don't need help?" She asked despite the fact she was already inching towards the door.

"Positive. I'll see you later."

"Thank you so much Harry." She gushed, throwing her arms around his waist in a brief hug causing him to blush quite brightly. A few seconds later and Hermione was gone, the sounds of her hurried footsteps slowly fading away until there was only silence.

Once again alone, Harry left out a small huff before slipping his book into the pocket of his Hogwarts robes and then pulling his wand out of his pocket. He said a quiet Lumos as he got down onto his knees in front of the green puddle. He wasn't completely sure what the green substance was so he didn't like the idea of simply vanishing it; some potions ingredients didn't react well to magic. That also meant he was uncomfortable with the idea of touching it with his bare hands as well just in case it was corrosive. He'd have to get his father eventually but he thought it best to pick up as much of the glass as possible first, if only to save doing the job later.

For a few minutes, Harry picked up glass by the light of his wand in complete silence. So, when a noise finally came, it was a bit of a shock. "Whoever is in there, you are to come out immediately!" Severus' voice boomed, making Harry visibly jump. When it registered who had spoken, he rolled his eyes at himself for being so surprised.

He leaned back and sat on his behind and scooted backwards so he could poke his head around the side of the door. "It's only me Father." He called down the corridor. bringing his wand around to point to his face so it was visible.

"Haryon? How did you get in there?" Severus' voice asked moments before he stepped into the light created by Harry's wand.

"There was someone already in here." Harry explained as he scooted back inside and continued picking up glass. "They got away before I could see who it was but they made a bit of a mess. I was just picking up some of the glass." He felt quite sure that this wasn't another step backwards in his mission to cut back on the lying because he had promised Hermione to keep her secret. It wasn't a step back, nope, not at all.

"Move, let me see." The Potions Master ordered and Harry obediently got onto his feet and pressed against the shelves to his right so that the mess, which was nearer to the left had side, was accessible. Severus crouched down by the puddle for a few seconds before taking out his wand and simply banishing it with a quick Scourgify; that answered the question about whether it would react negatively with magic. "Luckily it was nothing of value." The dark professor said as he got to his feet once again and turned his gaze onto his son. "You say you didn't see who it was?"

"No, they were out of here and running off in the opposite direction to me the moment they realised I was coming." Harry lied easily.

That only seemed to annoy Severus and he frowned deeply, looking around the small area, no doubt trying to see just with his eyes whether anything had actually been taken. Harry remained at the side silently, waiting for his father to speak what was on his mind. "And what was it that you were doing in this part of the school?" The man asked eventually, his gaze steady and hard on the dark haired boy.

"I was on my way down to see you; I thought we could spend some time together." At least that was an honest answer. It also had the added bonus or apparently pacifying his father as Severus' frown eased somewhat.

"Well, then I would hate for you to have come down here for nothing." He said with a very small quirk of his lips which could qualify as a smile when on the face of Severus Snape. "There is nothing more I can do here for now and there is no use in trying; it will be dealt with in the morning." He explained as he walked out of the storage room and Harry followed him. Once they were both out, Severus turned and shut the door, locking it both manually with a key and with a locking charm. That done, he turned to his son and gave him a very slight smile. "Shall we then?"

"We shall." Harry said teasingly, with a light grin, as he linked his arm with his father. Side by side, the headed off down the corridor towards Severus' rooms.

22nd November 1992: Midday

"You've done very well today Haryon." Sephiran smiled to Harry from where he sat across from him. "I must admit that I'm rather impressed with your ability to retain knowledge. I wish I had your skill in that area."

"Oh, well, I wish I had your skill in everything else High Priest." Harry replied somewhat shyly, a pleased blush from the compliment colouring his cheeks.

Sephiran laughed lightly at that and smiled at his student fondly. "Then we must be about even." He paused and seemed to consider something. "Tell me Haryon, what are your opinions on divination?"

"Depends what type you're talking about; Wizarding or Havanist?"

"Both."

"Well, I personally haven't had any luck with Wizarding techniques and neither has anyone else I know but that's not to say it doesn't work. I've never seen a Havanist technique in actual practice but I've read plenty about them and they sound more promising than anything they've tried to teach here."

"I see."

"Why do you ask High Priest?" Harry inquired curiously.

"I was considering the possibility of beginning your divination lessons after the holidays." Sephiran told him with a kind smile.

"Wow, really?" The dark haired teenager asked in disbelief; divination training usually began for Priests and Priestesses when they turned sixteen.

"Well, you've performed excellently in all that you have been taught so far and with your demonstration of exorcism skills at the beginning of the summer this year, I think it's safe to say that you need no more instruction in that area. And as for the subject of divination itself, you have already shown great promise." Harry blushed again at that though it was more of an awkward blush this time. "Have you had any other dreams since our last lesson?"

"I had one on the night after our lesson but it made very little sense to me. There was darkness and a few odd sounds and sensations but other than that nothing happened. It was very similar to that dream I had last month."

"Truly? Would you say that the one you had recently was building on the one before?" Harry considered that for a moment before he nodded. "Some dreams are like that, no one knows why. They give you little bits of the future at a time, each dream building on the last, revealing a little more. They are usually the most clear when they reach their end however. Instead of being symbolic they show things exactly as they will happen. You would do very well to pay close attention to the next dream you have like that Haryon."

"Yes High Priest."

"I think that will be all for today. You may go now." Sephiran dismissed the Gryffindor with a smile.

"Thank you. Have a pleasant week High Priest." Harry said with a small bow before turning and leaving Dumbledore's office.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

17th December 1992: Afternoon

The room was a buzz with excited chattering, students from several of the Year groups and from all four Houses gathered in order to participate in the Duelling Club that Lockhart had started. Harry stood with Fred and George in amongst a whole group of other Gryffindors, the majority of which were Second Years. Hermione, Ron and Potter were to the dark haired teenager's right while the Weasley twins were behind him slightly and there was a group of Ravenclaws to his left. He was quite looking forward to this little display, mostly because his father was helping out with everything and Severus was a glorious dueller.

"Gather round, gather round," the proud voice of Lockhart spoke up suddenly and the students began to hush. "Can everybody hear me? Can you all see me?" He beamed a smile at a random section of the crowd as he pulled off his cloak nonchalantly, all the while strutting down the length of the duelling table. "Good." His cloak left him in a dramatic swish of fabric and he threw it into the crowd and for a few moments, excited, girlish squeals rose up. "Now, in light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has asked me to start this little duelling club, to train you all up, in case you ever find that you need to defend yourself, as I have several time; for full details, see my published works." He paused dramatically and with flourish of his arm, gestured to the other end of the table. "Let me introduce my assistant; Professor Snape."

At the other end of the duelling table, Severus was climbing the few steps up onto the top of the platform. Gone were his long, flowing outer robes but he still looked every bit as intimidating as usual in his duelling robes. Harry thought he looked wonderful and he watched the smooth movements of the dark man in awe. He had seen his father duel before as Severus and Lucius occasionally practiced together, though admittedly not as much they used to when they were all younger.

"He has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration but I don't want you all to worry; you'll still have your Potions Master when I'm through with him, never fear." He told them all and Harry held back a snort of laughter. The DADA professor turned to face Severus. "First, we bow." They did so, Lockhart's a whole lot more flowery and over-the-top than Severus'. "Now, ten steps away each." The honey-blonde announced once he had straightened up. Harry watched gleefully as the two teachers turned and walked away from each other; he just knew this was going to be good. "Now, on the count of three." Lockhart said as he and Severus turned to face each other at the same time, both with their wands ready. "One, two, three..."

"Expelliarmus." Severus said calmly as he thrust his wand forward with practiced technique. The spell shot towards Lockhart and the blonde man was sent sailing back, landing roughly onto the duelling table a few feet down much to the amusement of every boy who was watching. Harry couldn't stop the slightly smug smile that made its way onto his face, proud of the actions of his father.

"Do you think he's all right?" Hermione asked anxiously, trying to veer herself around so she could see the state of the DADA teacher.

"Who cares?" Ron laughed, clearly amused by what had happened.

Lockhart pushed himself up and straightened out his clothes before giving Severus a slight, totally fake, smile. "Yes, well, it was an excellent idea for you to show them that but, if you don't mind me saying Professor, it was pretty obvious that that was what you were going to do and if I had wanted to stop you, it would've been only too easy."

"Perhaps it would be best if we first taught the students how to block unfriendly spells Professor?" Severus suggested in a somewhat light tone, (light for him anyway) before giving the blonde man a small smirk.

Lockhart looked a little unsure for a moment before his usual smile returned to face. "An excellent suggestion Professor." He praised before turning and glancing around the crowd. "Let's have a couple of volunteers. Erm...Haryon Snape and..." He looked around himself, his gaze travelling from the Gryffindors, past the Ravenclaws and towards the Slytherins. "...Bethany Zabini, both of you come up."

Harry felt himself pale at that and he threw a desperate look at Fred and George who were glaring up at the other end of the hall where Bethany had already come out from the crowd. The dark haired boy turned his look on his father but found that Severus was remaining neutral and stotic. Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to get out of doing this, Harry gave a sigh and began to edge through the crowd to make his way to the end of the table which was nearest to him. When he reached the end of the table, Lockhart politely held his hand out to him in order to help him up the steps and Harry accepted it, allowing himself to be hauled up by the older man easily.

"Good luck Harry." Lockhart wished quietly as the Gryffindor passed him and they released each others hands.

"Thank you Sir." Harry replied, unable to summon the good humour to crack a smile. After all, this was the man who had just put him in this situation after all. Maybe he could talk Draco into doing something to the man's breakfast again.

Reaching the middle of the table and coming face to face with Bethany, Harry half paid attention to the instructions they were being given. The rest of his attention was taking up with staring the Slytherin in front of him down. She had a glare on her face which he could probably be lethal in some situations. After a while of staring and since Lockhart hadn't stopped talking yet, the Gryffindor allowed his eyes to wander over to the crowd of Slytherins who he hadn't been able to see from his position before. His eyes instantly fell onto Draco who had pushed his way to the front and was watching the both of them intently. Someone else who caught Harry's eye was Blaise Zabini who was looking up at them both with something akin to awe in his eyes which, in one way, he thought was rather sweet; must be nice to have an older sibling.

Abruptly, the command to bow came from behind Harry. Both he and Bethany brought their wands up to their faces, held up vertically. It was then that Bethany's lips curled in a sneer. "Scared Snape?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at her slightly. "Not particularly." He answered truthfully, his tone completely unimpressed with the question. That seemed to annoy the girl and her smirk morphed into a glare. Harry just kept his gaze on her steadily until he turned around to begin to take his ten paces away.

"Now," Lockhart said sternly once the two Fourth Years were in place and had faced each other again. "On my count I want you to cast your charms to disarm; only to disarm. We don't want any accidents here." A pause. "One, two..."

"Enverte Statum!" Bethany called as she thrust her wand towards Harry.

Not expecting the abrupt attack, Harry couldn't think fast enough to defend himself and the spell hit him right in the stomach. He was sent flying back, turning several times in mid-air before he landed on his back roughly causing a gasp of horror to rise up from almost everyone who was watching. A small cry of pain forced its way out of his throat and he closed his eyes against the sensation as he hoped that the feeling would fade quickly. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he opened his eyes to see Professor Lockhart leaning over him. The man offered his hand once he had Harry's attention and the Gryffindor readily accepted it, once again being hauled up by the DADA teacher. This time however, the moment that he was back on his feet, the teenager had his wand pointed straight ahead of himself, directly at Bethany who was still looking rather smug with herself.

"Rictasempra!"

The spell shot towards Bethany in an instant and collided with her chest. Immediately, she fell onto her knees and began to laugh in the most obnoxious way. Several people laughed as well, laughing at her rather than with her. Harry watched as his father sneered down nastily at the girl, probably more than a little put out by what she had done to him, and yanked her up to her feet by the collar of her robes while ending the spell which Harry had put on her. She stopped laughing almost at once and her already flushed cheeks, from laughing, darkened. A positively poisonous glare marred her face as she jerked her robe back into position with a quick movement of her shoulders before pointing her wand to Harry again who was still aiming at her, more than ready for another attack.

"I said to disarm only Miss Zabini!" Lockhart told her in a raised tone.

She seemed to totally ignore him however as she brought her wand back and cast a second spell; "Serpensortia!" With a flash, a cobra was shot out of the tip of her wand. It landed with a light thump in the middle of the table and it wasted no time in slithering forward, hissing at various students as it passed them.

"Don't move Haryon, I'll get rid of it." Severus assured as he moved forward.

"Allow me Professor." Lockhart insisted, walking forward himself and the Potions Professor came to a stop. "Orlate Ascendele." That ended up doing absolutely nothing of use and simply entertained some of the students as the snake was sent shooting up into the air before it landed again with a rather cringe-worthy thud.

"Not sssafe." The snake hissed as it reared up as if ready to strike, facing the crowd of Ravenclaw Second Years who backed away from the snake warily. "Pain. Mussst defend, mussst kill..."

"No, don't." Harry hissed back soothingly without even thinking about when the others around him would hear. "You're perfectly sssafe, no one isss going to hurt you."

"No, danger, mussst protect myssself from thhhessse creaturesss." The snake insisted as it stared intently at a Ravenclaw boy and for a few horrible moments, Harry really thought that the snake was going to actually attack the boy.

"Yesss, you're right, you mussst protect yourssself, but not from him. I am the one who wishhhesss to do you harm." Harry said quickly to get the snakes attention away from the boy and onto him.

It worked and the snake turned to look at him. "You are the danger?" The snake asked, clearly unimpressed. Harry remained silent, simply staring down at the reptile. The snake let out what was probably the snake equivalent of a chuckle. "You lie." It accused easily seconds before it was hit by a spell and disintegrated right in front of Harry's eyes.

Harry blinked a few times once the snake was gone, finding himself oddly disorientated. However, after the few seconds it took for him to completely regain his senses, he realised that every eye in the hall was on him and it abruptly hit him, what he'd done. His eyes widened in slight horror and his eyes shot from face to face, each staring at him in confusion and fear, until he reached the face of his father. The dark man was staring at him warily, almost as if he didn't know what he expected the Gryffindor to do next. It was the last straw for the dark haired teenager.

Within the space of a few seconds, Harry had spun around and fled, leaping from the table and landing again a good distance away, the continuing momentum helping him in running even faster. At the back of his mind, he knew he was heading towards the Gryffindor Tower but at the forefront all he could think about were all those eyes, staring at him. He knew what they had all been thinking; Voldemort. This was why he had kept it to himself for so long, because he didn't want people to think that about him, he didn't want to ever see Severus look at him in that way. Tears entered his eyes at the thought but he fought them back stubbornly, at least until he could hide behind the curtains which surrounded his bed.

"Harry!" A voice, it sounded like Fred, called after him but he ignored it. He didn't want to see the way the ginger-haired boy would look at him now. He just wanted to hide, forever preferably.

"C'mon mate, it's only us!" That was George's voice that time.

Harry would've kept running, he really would've, if it wasn't for the fact that the staircase he was standing on chose that very moment to move. He bit back a wail of frustration and instead settled for collapsing onto a steps, wrapping his arms around his legs and burying his face in the tops of his knees, concentrating solely on the task of fighting back his tears. All too soon the sounds of footsteps had reached him and come to a stop just in front of him.

"Harry?" Strange, that sounded like Hermione; why was she here? "Are you all right?"

"Just peachy." Harry mumbled into his knees.

"You already knew?" Fred asked gently and Harry felt the boy's form settle beside his right on the step.

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell us?" George inquired, sounding only worried as someone sat down on his left, too small to be George, so he guessed it was Hermione.

"Why do you think? I don't need another reminder of Voldemort and neither does anyone else."

"Second Year, when you were bitten by the snake, it happened when you were trying to talk to one didn't it?" Fred guessed. Harry simply nodded glumly. "Blimey mate, don't ever let anyone tell you you're boring." He joked with a weak laugh.

"Harry, have you thought about what else this could mean?" Hermione questioned from beside him and Harry turned his head to the side slightly in order to look at her. A faint blush was on her cheeks and she was looking down at her knees intently. Obviously feeling his eyes on her, she glanced up at him for a moment before looking back down at her knees. "Everyone finding out about your...Gift, probably couldn't come at a worse time, what with the attack on Colin Creevey and the message on the wall in blood."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a light frown.

"According to the legend, the Chamber of Secrets can only be opened by the Heir of Slytherin. There's a reason the symbol of Slytherin is a snake Harry." She told him seriously, finally getting the courage to lift her gaze to him for more than a few seconds. "Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth; he could talk to snakes too."

"And now everyone's gonna go around thinking that Harry's his great-great-great grandson or something." George gasped, realisation lighting up his whole face.

"But I'm not!" Harry cried, sitting up properly before slumping forward, dejectedly. "I can't be..."

"You're a foundling Harry; for all any of us know, you could be." Hermione told him gently, reaching forward shyly and patting Harry's knee a few times.

Fred brought an arm around his shoulders in a supportive hold which Harry leaned into gratefully. Could he really be the Heir of Slytherin? Surely he'd remember opening the Chamber...Unless he was in some kind of trance when he did it, spurred on to do it by some innate, inherited trait. But he hadn't always been an Parselmouth, right? Or was it just that he had never had the opportunity to speak to a snake before and so never found out? He had understood what Voldemort had been saying to his snake during that dream he'd had on that Valentines Day before the Hallowe'en he'd defeated the man but that could have been an affect of the vision. There really was no way to tell. Hermione was right; as far as he and everyone else knew, he could very well be a descendant of Slytherin himself.

The sounds of footsteps once again reached the ears of Harry and his companions and they all lifted their gazes to see none other than Severus stalking towards them. Harry quickly scrubbed away at his eyes to get the few tears which had managed to escape away before getting to his feet. He stayed where he was though, allowing his father to come to him, his head hung in another attempt to hide his slightly red and puffy eyes.

Severus stopped inches away from him, the tips of the man's shoes in Harry's line of sight. Harry stopped himself from trembling at the thoughts of all the things that might happen now, most of which weren't very nice. His father might be angry for him not telling the truth about his abilities; they might get into another one of their terrible arguments which resulted in neither speaking to the other for days; this might be the last straw, what with the lying and secrets, and his father might not want him anymore. After all, he was a teenager now, more than capable of looking after himself if he had to. Severus could quite easily send him away and not suffer from so much as an ounce of guilt.

More tears came to Harry's eyes and he squeezed them shut tightly in a stubborn attempt to keep them back. It was just then that he felt a large, slightly rough pad of a finger brush across his slightly clammy cheek. He didn't open his eyes but he didn't fight it when his father brought an arm around his shoulders, covering him in the folds of his robes in the most secure way. Silently, Harry was led back down the stairs, kept tightly at the side of his stern father.

18th December 1992: Evening

Harry tried his hardest to concentrate on what he was currently trying to write but it was practically impossible with so many people in the Gryffindor common room staring at him openly. With a slight frown, he lifted his head and looked ahead of himself where there was a table of Second Years watching him. They all held eye contact with him for a few moments before they all turned away, returning to their own work. They weren't the only ones who were watching him though but he turned back to his work anyway. Still unable to concentrate, he flickered his eyes up to meet with Fred and George a second later, both of who could only give him looks of sympathy.

This was stupid and unfair! Yes, okay, he was a Parselmouth and that wasn't a very common gift but that didn't mean he was the Heir of Slytherin. Did people believe him though? No, they didn't. They weren't even taking into account that he was the one who had beaten Voldemort or the events which happened just before they had stopped school for the summer. He supposed it didn't help that he had been found with Mrs Norris when she was petrified, but Fred and George had been there with him! At least his father had been all right about everything though. The previous day, when Harry had been taken down to the dungeons to talk everything through with the Potions Master, he had finally told the truth about his ability to talk to snakes. Severus had been completely understanding and not in the least angry though he had been scolded for keeping things to himself when they were obviously important. He didn't know what the opinions of Draco and the rest of Slytherin was, he hadn't had the time to speak to his best friend yet.

Finally having enough with all the staring, Harry threw down his quill and flipped his book closed irritably. "I'm taking a walk; take my stuff back up to our dorm when you're finished please." He told them in a monotone as he rose from his chair, once again catching the attention of the entire room. Ignoring everyone, he passed through the room with an expressionless face, not allowing anyone to get even a hint of what he was truly feeling, because inside he was hurt and he hated himself because of it.

He left Gryffindor Tower silently, his head hung dejectedly as he shuffled along, not really having anywhere to go, just not wanting to be under the constant scrutiny of everyone in Gryffindor. All he could say was that he was thankful beyond words that the twins and Hermione at least still had faith in him. Ron seemed unsure around him now, never meeting his eyes and keeping any conversations they might have to a bare minimum and Potter...Well, Potter was taking the opportunity to torment him. It was somewhat reassuring though; if the boy could use it as a subject of taunting then it probably meant he wasn't taking the accusations too seriously.

Suddenly, the deep, hissing voice which he had heard so many times since the beginning of the school year came to him. He froze instantly in an attempt to hear exactly where the voice was coming from. It was not just in his head, he refused to believe that possibility. It was too much of a coincidence that he heard it just before things turned up petrified...Oh Merlin, did that mean someone was in danger now? With that thought in his head, Harry broke into a run. He had no idea where he was going but running felt like he was making an actual effort.

Turning a corner, Harry skidded to an abrupt stop when he saw the form of Nearly Headless Nick floating just ahead of him. He was about to greet the ghost when he realised that he was just floating there with his head hanging to the side by the bit of flesh which kept his head attached to his neck. With a light frown, Harry allowed his eyes to wander over the still ghost and his jaw dropped when he saw what was a few feet behind, laying completely still on the floor.

Harry quickly rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside the stiff body of a boy he recognised from the duelling club yesterday. He was a boy in Ravenclaw, Second Year he thought, and he was petrified. The Fourth Year closed his eyes in regret; maybe if he hadn't have stopped to try and hear where the voice was coming from he could've got to the boy in time to protect him. Opening his eyes again, Harry reached for the petrified boy's hand and gently ran his fingers over the greyed flesh. It was as he did that, that some movement over by the wall in front of him caught his eye. He glanced up quickly and saw that there was a trail of spiders again, scuttling along in a neat line.

Footsteps suddenly came towards him quickly and Harry practically jumped away from the Ravenclaw's body guiltily, knowing exactly how it would look if he was found here with a petrified body again. But before he could even gather his thoughts enough to even consider running away, Filch came walking around the corner. Filch! Of all people, why did it have to be Filch?

The moment the man saw him, his eyes lit up in malicious delight and Harry could do nothing but sigh dejectedly and wait for everything to kick off. Because it would; it always did.

20th December 1992: Evening

It was official; Harry was now the most feared boy in the school. After he was found at the scene where the latest victim was, (he had found out that the boy's name was Justin) everyone's suspicions of him increased ten-fold. Whereas before people had merely stared and speculated, the majority of the student population now truly believe he was the one behind all these attacks. Because of this, they had stopped staring but only as they were afraid of what might happen to them if they did so. Now the common room cleared when he entered and people avoided him like the plague in the corridors.

The only consolation that he had was that neither his father or Professor Dumbledore seemed to think he was actually responsible for the attacks. When Justin had been found, Professor McGonagall had taken him to see the Headmaster where the elderly wizard had assured him that he had full faith that Harry hadn't done anything when, strangely, Hagrid had burst into the office protesting Harry's innocence. The Headmaster had asked him if there was anything Harry wanted to tell him and the teenager had seriously considered spilling his guts about everything and anything out of pure gratitude. His old attitude of keeping quiet rather than worry everyone had won out however and he had answered with a simple no.

Now, at that very moment, no longer feeling comfortable in the Gryffindor common room, Harry was on his way down to the dungeons to either spend some time with his father or to see if he could snag some time with Draco. The blonde had managed to catch him a few times in between lessons over the last few couple of weeks to check up on him but they hadn't had a chance to sit down and have an actual conversation for quite a while.

The corridor Harry was walking down being so quiet, the bang that suddenly came from his side sounded deafening and the dark haired teenager actually cried out in surprise, turning in the direction the noise came from while staggering a few feet back. His eyes fell onto the sight of a door, only a door, and although the beating of his heart levelled out a bit, he didn't drop his guard. Cautiously, having no idea what to expect, Harry reached for the door knob. Wrapping his hand around it, he gave it a twist and a pull only to find that it was locked. As far as he was concerned that was as much as he needed to know and he released the handle with the intent of turning around again and continuing on to the dungeons.

However, before he had taken more than a step away, another bang came and it was definitely from behind the locked door. Harry looked at the door handle warily even as he pulled his wand out. With a long stride, he stepped from one side of the door to the next so that he had to reach across the door to hold the handle. He took a few seconds to adjust his grip on the handle before raising the tip of his wand to it.

"Alohomora." He said quickly. Harry felt and heard the door unlock and he didn't waste a second in yanking open the door, pulling it towards him. Whatever it was that was on the other side obviously hadn't been expecting the door to suddenly open as there was a cry; no, two cries, shortly before the sound of something hitting the floor.

Harry quickly stepped from behind the open door, his wand pointed down to the floor just in case. However, he instantly found that he was in no danger as there, sprawled out on the floor, were two half-clothed boys who he recognised as being Second Year Slytherins who hung around with Blaise Zabini. Taking his eyes off of the two underwear clad boys for a moment, Harry peered around the side of the door to see that it was actually a broom closet the two had been locked in. He turned his gaze back onto the two Second Years and they lifted their head to look up at him slowly, clearly embarrassed about being found in such a situation. Then, the taller one opened his mouth to speak.

"No, don't." Harry interrupted, bringing his free hand up as a sign for any possible speech to stop. "I really, really don't want to know why you two were locked inside a broom closet, half naked, with each other. Just, get dressed again and go back to the dungeons and I won't say anything to anyone."

"Our clothes aren't in there." The taller one muttered, blushing.

"Someone must've taken them." The fat one agreed quietly.

"...Someone stole your clothes?" Harry checked in a disbelieving tone; why in Merlin's name would anyone want to steal a set of over-sized Slytherin robes? The two boys simply nodded slightly, their eyes fixed to the floor. The Gryffindor released a groan; why did this sort of thing always happen to him? "Fine then," he sighed as he pulled off his school robe and held it out to the two boys. "Hold this across yourselves or something and I'll walk you back to the dungeons."

"Why do you have to come?" The taller boy asked with a frown.

"Because it's my robe and I was on my way down there to see my father anyway. Now, unless you want to walk the rest of the way in nothing but your underwear, hush and let's get going." Harry ordered firmly, giving a little dismissive gesture with the hand which didn't still hold his wand. The two Slytherins exchanged looks before turning around and beginning to walk off. Harry followed on behind, keeping his eyes firmly on what was further up the corridor rather than the sight of the half naked boys a few paces in front of him; it was not a pretty picture in the least.

Soon, but not soon enough for Harry, the three boys were standing outside the entrance to the dungeons...And then there was nothing. The two burly Second Years just stopped and after a few seconds turned to look at Harry. The Gryffindor stared back at them for several moments before he frowned lightly. "What?"

"Cover your ears." The short, fat one ordered.

Harry rolled his eyes and did as he was asked, also turning around just to make sure. It wasn't like he didn't already know the password, Draco always trusted him with it at the beginning of each year so that he could go and see him whenever he wanted. It was doubtful the other Slytherin students knew that though so Harry played along if only so that the two boys wouldn't cause a huge fuss. Even though he had his ears covered, Harry did hear the portrait swing open. He turned around, allowing his hands to drop and wordlessly followed the two boys in. Ignoring the stares which instantly fell on him as he and the two boys walked into the Slytherin common room, they walked through calmly, no doubt going to the boys' dorm room in order for them to hide so they no longer needed Harry's robe.

However, it was as they were passing a neat seating area, Harry's eyes flickered over to it to see Blaise Zabini was lounging on an arm chair easily and just opposite him and to the side on the three-seat sofa, were the backs of two very familiar heads. The Gryffindor frowned lightly in confusion and looked back at the two boys in front of him before looking back to the three Slytherins in the sitting area. When he looked back though, his eyes widened in surprise when the short, fat boy turned a little and he caught sight of his face. It was the same boy! Exactly the same...Until the brown hair suddenly started to fade into ginger.

"Oh my Goddess..." Harry murmured, watching in horrified fascination as the hair continued to turn orange. That had to be Ron because no way would Fred, George or Percy sneak in here for some reason. And then the other boy was most likely Potter. But how had they managed to do it? The two boys suddenly jumped to their feet and scrambled away to the way out of the common room, Blaise Zabini calling out after them. His curiosity aroused, Harry was fully intent on going after them.

"Oi, where are you going?" The short, fat boy in front of Harry called after him.

"There's something I forgot to do." Harry called back as he sped up into a run, chasing after the two disguised Gryffindors.

"But your robe?" The taller one said.

"Keep it." The Gryffindor replied simply as he swerved around a corner, just in time to see the figures of the fake Slytherins disappear through the portrait hold. He picked up his pace, intent on not losing the two boys, and therefore couldn't stop himself when Draco suddenly came around a corner and they collided.

"Harry? Are you here to see me?" The blonde asked curiously as he held onto the dark haired teenager to stop him from falling backwards.

"Not now Draco." Harry said distractedly as he forced his way away from his best friend and darted off towards the exit again. He practically jumped out of the Slytherin territory, entering the neutral area of the corridor behind.

Glancing from side to side, Harry searched for any sign of the two boys he was chasing and was pleased to see that they weren't too far away. They were ahead of him and on their way up, about three staircases up already. He didn't hesitate in charging off, taking the steps two at a time. It was when he was half way up the first staircase that he thought he heard Draco call after him but he ignored it, intent on catching up with the two boys.

What on Earth did they think they were up to? And how did they manage to do it? Glamour charms were unlikely as Ron's hair had started to come through and such intense charms would be beyond the capability of either the Weasley or Potter; he was doubtful that Hermione could manage it either. Maybe it was Polyjuice Potion. He knew a bit about it from his father and it was taught in Seventh Year but for a Second Year to do it? Considering how smart Hermione was and the fact he caught her taking ingredients from Severus' personal stores a while ago, he wouldn't put it past the girl to be able to do it. And he was going to find out for sure; he just needed to follow the two boys because they were most likely heading straight to tell Hermione how it went.

Unfortunately, even though Harry had reached the top of all the stairs and had still managed to keep the boys in sight, when he entered a corridor and saw the boys turn a corner, he followed them only to find that they had completely disappeared. He slowed to a stop and gave a huff of frustration. He couldn't believe he had lost them! A couple of fat Second Years in heavy robes could out-run him? It didn't make sense! With a sigh, he leaned against the left-hand wall and allowed himself to catch his breath now he had nothing more to run for.

"Harry!" Draco called from down the other corridor and Harry groaned; he shouldn't have blown the blonde off like he did, it only made him look suspicious and if he didn't need anything at that moment, it was to look suspicious. Seconds later, Draco came charging around the corner, looking rather flustered. "Harry, what the Hell was that?"

"Sorry." Harry sighed quietly, running his finger tips over his eyes tiredly, wondering frantically how he was going to get out of explaining this without getting his fellow Gryffindors in trouble and also not making him look completely crazy.

"What is wrong with you lately?" Draco asked him gently as he stepped up to the side of his best friend, resting his hand on the dark haired teenager's shoulder.

Harry gave another sigh and he made a snap decision; play the sympathy card. He wordlessly launched himself into the arms of the blonde Slytheirn, wrapping his arms around the other teenager's waist and snuggling his face just under his chin comfortably. Draco seemed to tense slightly at this sudden display of affection but he soon adjusted, his muscles relaxing and his arms coming around Harry firmly, holding him close as the fingers of one of his hands came up to stroke his hair gently.

"Hey, what is it? What's wrong? You can tell me." He said gently, his tone reassuring.

"Everyone hates me." Harry whispered, speaking the first sympathy-inducing thought that popped into his mind. "What have I done Draco? I just don't understand."

It worked a treat. Draco instantly launched into a whole reassuring speech about how Harry wasn't hated and even if he was, he still had the blonde. As Harry listened, he idly wondered if he should be concerned with how easy it was for him to lie to people still. This was just a blip though, a relapse if you will, it didn't change anything, he was still going to keep working on stopping his lying.

31st December 1992: Night

Grey stone, grey sky. Everything was grey, depressed, everything falling into despair. A familiar man sat huddled into a corner a tiny, stone room. At first glance, he was doing nothing. On closer inspection, it was clear that his arm was moving ever so slightly.

The other person in the cell stepped out of the shadows, towards the man, curiosity driving Him on though He still didn't think people could see Him in situations like this. He knelt down next to the man to try and see what was he was doing exactly and frowned lightly upon hearing a small chipping noise. Angling His head slightly, He managed to peer into the darkness behind the man and catch a glimpse of something shiny in his hand. By the way the shine kept appearing and reappearing again, He guessed it was something metallic and was being used to chip away at the old, crumbling wall.

And then there was a horrible sound, a sound that made the man freeze instantly and Him to turn around in a second. There were three of them, all heading towards the barred gate which blocked the doorway into the room. The atmosphere turned freezing, even He could feel it and He wasn't really there. The three hovering figures in floating black cloaks stopped by the door and the one in front held out a bony hand. The fingers curled into the palm and the door slid back into the wall at the same time.

The man began to blubber, to plead, to order the three figures to go away. They ignored him though, completely. They didn't head over to him, they didn't even seem to acknowledge him. They went straight for Him. They knew He was standing there! How?

He was surrounded and it was so terribly cold. Then there was pain; terrible, heart wrenching pain that ached deep in his chest. And He heard a the crying of a baby. He felt so alone, so horribly, terribly alone. He would never be with anyone again. He was unwanted, He had been abandoned, no one loved Him, no one ever would, He'd be alone forever...

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry's eyes flew open in an instant and he scrambled to sit up in his bed. He was breathing heavily and the lingering feelings from whatever it was he had just seen chilled his body. What had he seen? Was it a dream? It had felt too real to be a dream. Had it been a vision of some sort? Then why had those black-things been able to see him? He had never been seen when he'd had a vision before, so why had he this time? And those sounds he had heard, of the baby screaming, what was the significance of that? Why had he felt so suddenly alone? Was it all because of those creatures?

With an exhausted sigh, Harry collapsed onto his back. There was only one thing he could be completely sure of at that moment and that was the identity of the man he had seen in that horrible room:

Peter Pettigrew.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

2nd February 1993: Afternoon

Two months; two whole months of people staring at him, whispering about him, acting as though he was going to petrify them the second they did something to annoy him. Little did they all know that if he was capable of that, almost the entire school would be filled with people statues by that point. He was sick of it, all of it, and that was why he was standing in the middle of the Gryffindor boys' bathroom with a piece of parchment in one hand and a pin in the other.

There was one question which was causing Harry all the trouble and it was that question he was about to answer; was he the Heir of Slytherin?

He had "borrowed" a large piece of blood-line parchment from Binns' classroom and was fully prepared to use it. Last year he had passed the opportunity by and, if he was perfectly honest, he still wasn't overly keen on the idea of knowing who his birth parents were, but he felt he had little other choice. What better way to prove that he wasn't the Heir of Slytherin? If it meant he had to know about his more immediate relatives then so be it.

For a second, Harry looked at himself in the mirror, as if daring himself to back out of doing this. The self made challenge was ignored though and with no small amount of anticipation he purposely jabbed his left index finger with the pin. He winced at the sharp pain and quickly pulled the pin out again. A drop of blood quickly grew at the point of the pin-prick and, holding his breath, he quickly pressed the bleeding finger to the parchment in his hand.

He couldn't bring himself to look at the parchment as his blood spread across it, forming straight lines and the names of his relatives and ancestors, so he set it down on the edge of a sink and turned away from it. After quickly healing his finger with a very simple charm Severus had taught him at some point, his thumb came up to slip in between his lips and he nibbled on its tip nervously. The few seconds he actually waited seemed hours for him and eventually he lost his patience. He took up the parchment once again, his eyes instantly going to the top of the page where his ancestors from a century ago would be.

In less time than it took to blink once, Harry's fears were laid to rest. Salazar Slytherin's name wasn't present and nothing even resembling that name was there. A weight lifted off of his heart and he allowed his arms to drop as he tilted his head back, a beaming smile on his face as wave after wave of relief swept through him. He had to admit it, a part of him had really started to doubt himself, a part of him had been seriously asking "what if?" and wondering "just maybe...". But now that had been silenced as it was now there, right in his hands. He, Haryon Snape, was in no way related to Salazar Slytherin.

Maybe it was the high he was feeling at that moment or maybe it was just the curiosity that would have killed any cat ten times over, but Harry was suddenly eager to see who his birth parents were. That didn't stop the moment's hesitation before he brought the parchment back up to look at, but it didn't stop him all together. The parchment was brought back up to face and his eyes scanned down the length of the parchment from the top, down to the bottom...

His jaw dropped, his blood ran abruptly cold and he didn't move. The sight was terrible yet he couldn't look away. He could only stare at the names of his family, the names of his parents and the names of his siblings, each person's name ending with the same surname: Potter.

No, no it couldn't be true...He was...A Potter? That...That just wasn't possible surely! Him, the son of James and Lily Potter? The older brother of the spawn of Satan Johnathan Potter? It had to be a mistake. The parchment had to be faulty or something, it wasn't right, it couldn't be...

But it occurred to him that there was evidence to support it. The strange way Lily Potter seemed to act whenever she was around him, the fact that he had noticed on several occasions that there was a definite similarity in appearance between him and both male Potters and his green eyes; such a startling green and so much like Lily Potter's...

Oh dear Havanack...He was a Potter...Of all the people in all the world, why did he have to be the son of James Potter? The man that his entire family hated with a passion, the man that had been so horrible to his father when they had been in school together, the man that both Severus and Lucius would not hesitate to Crucio if they could get away with it...And he was the man's son, his flesh and blood...

Harry's eyes filled with tears and he dropped the parchment quickly, staggering away from it on unsteady legs as he sucked in a shuddered gasp. It was only when his back connected with the tiled wall of a shower cubical that he stopped, but his eyes never left the piece of parchment which now lay abandoned on the white floor. The piece of parchment which had ruined his life and still held the potential to ruin it even more. And he had no one to blame but himself...

A choked sob forced its way out of Harry as he bowed his lower body forward, his arms coming around his waist to hug himself tightly. Everything around him began to shake, his magic responding to his anguish. The wood around him began to split, the mirrors shattered and the shower heads groaned as the magic tried to rip them away from the wall. Sobs began to wrack his body and he moved his hands to cradle his head, sliding down the wall he was leaning against. Directly above him, the shower head finally gave out and shot away from the wall, ricocheting off of the floor a few feet away with a sharp ping at the same time that several other shower heads did the same and the taps too. Water shot out of the broken faucets and the one above Harry began to soak through his clothing but he was none the wiser.

Harry curled into himself, burying himself in the corner of the shower cubical, bringing his legs up against his chest and tucking his face against his knees, wanting to hide himself away from everything forever. How could he face anyone again? How could he go out there and act as though nothing had changed between him and Johnathan Potter? How could he face his father again? He was an accomplished liar, that was true, but could he really hide something like this so completely? Ugh, of all people, why did he have to be James Potter's son? Why did everything have to happen to him? Why couldn't he just be left alone?

Time passed, countless minutes which may have even made up an hour or more, and Harry was left alone, huddled in his corner, numb to everything. He didn't feel his soaked clothes and he wasn't irritated by the strands of loose, wet hair which stuck to his face. When the sound of an opening door made itself known over the splashing of the water, he didn't even properly comprehend that. Somewhere in his consciousness he heard it yet it didn't really compute. He just stayed there, his aching eyes staring into the pocket of darkness his curled body had created.

"Harry!" A female voice gasped and if he had been more bothered he would have wondered what a girl was doing in the boys' bathroom. As it was, he ignored the gasp completely, acting as though he had never heard it. Hurried footsteps splashed in the water which covered the floor, growing louder as they drew in closer. And then there was a hand on his shoulder while the other tried to lift his head. "Harry? What is it? What happened?" He didn't fight when his arm was pulled away from over his face but he didn't lift his gaze or even flicker it in the girl's direction. "Harry?" She said again, sounding incredibly worried.

"I know who I am." Harry said in a monotone, his desire to not worry a friend over-riding whatever it was that was turning him into a vegetable.

"What?"

He finally flickered his eyes to the side, glancing quickly at the worried face of Hermione before looking back down. "I wanted to know if I was really the Heir. Good news," he said with a weak smile which was completely forced. "I'm not."

"Then what happened?" Hermione asked gently, settling down beside the older boy despite the fact the ground was now covered in a good inch or two of water.

"I know who I am." Harry simply repeated, his gaze falling again and his eyes closing gently.

Hermione looked at him quizzically before something floating on top of the water a few feet away caught her attention. She turned to look at it properly and saw that, even from her distance, it was obviously Harry's family tree. The water sloshed around her as she got onto her knees to reach for it and then when she drew back with the parchment in her hand and settled again. Her eyes widened instantly and her hand came up to cover her mouth. "Oh my God..."

"Say that a couple thousand more times and you might just about be where I am now." Harry said with bitter humour as his eyes opened again.

"But...How...Why didn't they keep you?" She breathed tearfully, obviously upset for her friend. Harry remained silent but shook his head a little in a sign that he had no idea. Hermione looked down at the parchment again, shaking her head lightly as well. "I can't believe this..."

"And yet there it is."

"You're John's brother."

"Please Hermione, don't say that." Harry whispered heart-brokenly, closing his eyes and pressing against the side of the cubical he was leaning on.

"Sorry." She murmured gently.

"Me too." He said, his voice breaking with tears again. Hermione was instantly up on her knees and leaning closer to him, her arms coming around his shoulders and her head resting against his.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened again and Hermione's head shot up in order to see who it was. In the doorway stood Oliver Wood, his eyes wide in shock and fixed right on where Hermione was blocking his view of Harry. "What the bloody Hell happened in here?" He demanded, sounding completely flabbergasted.

"Go and get someone Oliver, it doesn't matter who." Hermione ordered desperately. "Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Merlin even Draco Malfoy will do, just go and get someone and quickly."

With the mention of those names in particular, the Sixth Year was able to quickly figure out that this had something to do with Harry. "Erm, right, okay." He agreed quickly before turning around and dashing out of the bathroom, the door swinging shut behind him.

The second he was gone, Hermione turned back to Harry. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to say nothing." Harry answered in a monotone, the tears once again passed.

"What?"

"We're not going to tell anyone what happened here and we're not going to tell them about me."

"Harry, you can't be..."

"I can't let my father know." Harry interrupted sternly, his eyes hardening but staying off of Hermione. "I can't lose him."

"Harry, your father isn't going to care..."

"My father hates no one more than James bloody Potter. If he was to find out that I'm his son..." He paused and took in a deep, calming breath. "I've already been abandoned by people who should have loved me, why shouldn't it happen with someone who has no reason to love me?"

"Oh Harry, how can you think like that? Your father adores you, it's obvious to everyone who sees the way he looks at you. He wouldn't disown you because of who your birth parents are." She reassured him gently.

"You don't know what kind of a man he is." Harry insisted, eye staring into nothing. "He can be so wonderful but he can be so terrifying too. He killed his own father; tortured him to death. I fear it's all too easy to fall out of his favour and it's the same with Uncle Lucius, though I suspect you already know all about him with all the reading you do."

Hermione shook her head lightly in disbelief. "How can you hold such faith in your Goddess yet doubt the love of your family?"

"Because the Great Lady is forgiveness and She will never turn her back on one of Her Priests, not unless She really had no choice but to. My family is less than forgiving." Harry whispered.

The Second Year girl gave a soft sigh. "So what do we do?"

"We say nothing." Harry replied again simply. "Just pretend that I haven't spoken the entire time and they can't ask for information. I'll handle everything else."

"What should we do with this?" She asked quietly, indicating piece of parchment still loosely held in her hand.

"If you could get rid of it please." The teenager asked in a shaky voice. It was then that he turned his head very slightly to look at the girl. "I know asking you to pretend that nothing's happened is a lot to ask for..."

"It's all right." She interrupted then, having folded the parchment and put it in her robes before reaching out to put her arm around him again. Honestly, she truly thought that this was just the shock talking. It wouldn't be too long before Harry calmed down and gathered the courage to tell his father and family and that was why she was going to keep the parchment. Keep in somewhere safe of course so that no one would find it but she'd be able to get it for Harry when he finally decided he was ready to tell people. Because it really had to be only a matter of time before he got the courage to tell the truth, it had to be...

They fell into silence then. Harry's head had lulled back against the wall and Hermione's arm stayed around him in a comforting hold. The only sound around them was the splashing of water as more flowed out from the broken faucets and hit the soaked floor. When the water suddenly stopped, both teenagers knew that it wouldn't be long before they were joined by teachers and that scared Harry into tensing up again. As a gentle sob left him, he curled back into himself, in the exact same position as before. The tears in Hermione's eyes which had been threatening to fall for the past several minutes broke free at that heart breaking sound and she held him a little tighter, offering as much silent support as she could.

What seemed like an eternity later, the door to the bathroom flew open, the water moving with it. Hermione looked up and was slightly surprised to see it was Professor McGonagall standing there rather than Professor Snape like she expected. "Miss Granger, what is it that's happened?" The stern Deputy Headmistress asked as she waded over to where they were.

"I don't know Professor." Hermione lied smoothly, though her tone was still tearful, as she moved out of the way to allow her Head of House access to the gently sobbing Harry. "I came back to get a book I had forgotten when I noticed that there was water leaking out from underneath the door and I checked to see what had happened. Harry was right there, he hasn't moved or spoken."

"Haryon?" MaGonagall said quietly, resting a hand on the trembling boy's shoulder. "Haryon, it's Professor McGonagall, what's wrong? What's happened?"

Harry remained stubbornly silent, controlling his sobs enough to silence them so that only his shoulders shook sightly. He tensed his muscles when the woman beside him tried to pry his arms away from his face and he ignored everything she said to him. This wasn't part of some grand master plan, he actually had no idea how he was going to explain this entire incident. He always thought of something though and he was somewhat confident he'd be able to think of something this time, it was just going to take him a little longer than normal. What he was doing right then was stalling and he would continue to stall until the very last second he could.

The sound of footsteps reached them all through the open door and a mere second or two later, Harry knew that his father must have entered as Professor McGonagall moved away from him. Though, it could've been Professor Dumbledore, she'd move out the way for him no doubt, but it was more likely to be his father. And, when the familiar scent of stale potions mixed with the spice of bath oils reached his nose, his theory was confirmed; only Severus smelt in such a reassuring way which usually instantly made Harry feel safe. It didn't work this time however. His fear and apprehension over everything that was about to come in the next few hours over-took it and he tensed again, more tears slipping out of his clenched eyes.

Strong arms gently worked their way around Harry and although he didn't fight against them, he didn't make it easier either. He remained curled, he remained stiff and he remained silent. Soon, he was rising off of the wet floor, an arm around his shoulders and one underneath his knees, supporting his entire body easily; he was rather skinny and light after all. He didn't open his eyes, he fought against the desire to snuggle into the warmth and scent of his father; he stayed as curled up and hidden as possible and he brought his hands up to cover his face completely, no doubt getting finger-prints all over his glasses but that was the last thing on his mind at that moment.

In silence he was carried forward, in silence he was carried out of Gryffindor Tower, in silence he ignored all the open stares which were fixed on him as they passed people in the corridors, in silence he was carried down to the dungeons. And it was in silence that he was settled on his father's lap, that he was carefully fed a vial of Dreamless Sleep and then dried and partially undressed before put under the covers of the bed.

2nd February 1993: Night

Only reluctantly did Harry open his eyes when he woke up later that night. The bedroom was lit with a soft orange glow, probably from a candle or two, and everything except him was still. He was alone; he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Tears prickled the backs of his eyes but didn't fall as everything came rushing back into his mind: all the fear; all the shame; all the uncertainty. He curled up tighter on his side, facing the wall the bed was against. What he would give to never leave that bed. How was he going to face the school again? Because he knew for a fact that the entire school would know by now; he was probably the subject of most conversations in the Great Hall that dinner time.

Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming, or possibly banging back against a wall, reached him through the shut door of his father's bedroom along with the angry yell of: "...Ignorant now to even comprehend a simple instruction?" It was his father's voice.

"I understood it perfectly, I simply chose to ignore it." That was Draco.

"And in doing so wasted yourself a journey. Do you honestly think I am going to let anyone else see him before tomorrow at the earliest?"

"You can't stop me though! You're not the only one who loves him and it's not fair of you too..."

"Once again Draco, you seem to have forgotten exactly how old you really are. You are fourteen, you are not an adult despite the activities you participate in with your Year mates." A pause. "Don't look so surprised; I am only too well aware of just how "innocent" you are, as is your father, and such behaviour only proves that you are still incredibly immature."

"Oh my...Does Harry know?"

"I seriously doubt it. Now, if you would please get out of my living room, I don't believe I gave you permission to enter."

"But Sev, please..."

The sound of slamming again and then there was silence; the confrontation was obviously over. It was a relief. Harry disliked arguments and he really wasn't in the mood to listen to one. But of course that did now mean that he was going to have to talk to his father and he had no idea what he was going to say. What could he say that would warrant the reaction which happened? No way in Hell was he going to tell the truth. If he was ever going to lie about something, it was this. But what could he say instead? He frantically tried to shuffle through his memories, trying to remember anything he hadn't mentioned to anyone that he could use.

A soft click came as the door into the bedroom was opened. Shuffling cloth and then another click as the door was shut. More shuffling and then the mattress beneath Harry dipped slightly as a new weight was added. "Haryon?" Severus' voice said gently as a hand smoothed over the top of his head.

"Father." Harry whispered in reply though he didn't turn over to face him.

"How do you feel?" There was a definite sense of relief in the Potion Master's voice, no doubt brought on by the one whispered word of his son.

"Groggy."

"That's no surprise. The Dreamless Sleep hasn't worn off completely yet and I imagine all those tears have contributed to the feeling as well." Severus paused and Harry was very aware that he was being studied intently by the man. "Come here darling." He murmured eventually, his hand snaking around the side of Harry's head that was resting on the pillow and gently coaxing him up.

Harry really couldn't be bothered to fight or refuse so he moved his tired limbs over a bit in order to shuffle a closer to his father. When he had moved close enough, Severus took over and hauled Harry up and next to him with a surprising amount of ease. Harry was settled against his father's side, an arm curled around him and his head resting against the man's firm chest. They stayed like that for a little while; Severus sitting on the edge of the bed with Harry leaning against him completely, his legs curled behind him and his loose hair covering him like a blanket. Then, Harry felt the man beside him crane his neck down and he knew what was coming.

"Haryon, I need you to tell me what happened."

For several minutes, Harry said nothing. It wasn't that he was thinking of what to say, he'd already decided on that in the few seconds it had taken him to get into this new position against the Potions Master, he was just preparing himself. Would he cry at some point? Yes, very probably if only because of what he wasn't saying rather than what he was, but he didn't want to burst into tears before he had even started. So he concentrated on breathing in and then breathing out calmly, steadying himself for the next few minutes. Then, finally, he began:

"I was just washing my hands when suddenly everything around me vanished and I was somewhere else. It was cold and grey and everything looked so dead. It was a very small room, more like a cell I think, and the doorway was blocked off by iron bars...The more I think about it, it probably was a cell actually. And I wasn't alone in there. A man was huddled into a corner and I think...I think it was Peter Pettigrew."

Harry paused, to see if his father had anything to say about that but Severus simply murmured: "Go on."

"For a while I could only stare at him because I didn't know what else to do. But then there was a noise, a completely inhuman noise that just made my entire body freeze. I looked over to the cell door and saw these three figures. They were cloaked in black, I couldn't see their faces because they had their hoods up but I...I don't think they had any legs, they looked like they were just floating. And then one of them opened the door with just as wave of its hand and then they were coming in.

"Pettigrew started sobbing, begging them to go away and to leave him alone. And they just totally ignored them and instead they came straight over to me. They surrounded me and then there was suddenly pain deep inside me somewhere. That's when I heard the crying of a baby and I..." Harry hesitated as a lump formed in his throat. "I felt so terribly alone, like no one wanted me or would ever want me." Tears began to fall out of his eyes. "I was so scared, no one loved me, no one was there and all I wanted was you to come and make it better..." No more came as Harry burst into sobs as he voiced his true fears which seemed all the more possible now that he knew who had created him.

"Shh, shh, shh." Severus cooed gently as he pulled his son onto his lap so he could better cradle the trembling boy. Harry instantly pressed his face against his father's shoulder and continued to cry fitfully. "It's all right my little prince, it's all right; I'm here, I've got you, you're all right."

It took several minutes for Harry to compose himself again and once he had stopped crying he just lay in Severus' arms limply. The usually sour man rocked him soothingly like he was still a small child and slowly carded his fingers through the long strands of dark hair. Several more minutes passed after Harry had stopped crying before Severus made another attempt to get some information out of him.

"And then what happened after all that was over?"

"I found myself back in the bathroom, on the floor and soaked through. I don't know what happened and I couldn't move...Everything just still felt so real..."

Severus pulled back a little then so that he could look Harry in the face. He tilted his son's head towards him gently so that the teenager had to look at him too before taking on a sad, sympathetic expression. "My poor little boy." He whispered as he brushed a few strands of hair away from Harry's face.

More tears filled Harry's sparkling green eyes at that and Severus pulled him back against his chest in comfort. All the while, Harry wondered if his father would still say such sweet words if he knew the truth.

3rd February 1993: Morning

Harry poked at the contents of his plate dejectedly from where he sat on the sofa in his father's living room, thoughts of the night before still fresh in his mind. After he'd finished crying the previous night, he had been fed a couple of potions which he guessed were to calm him down and what-not and then tucked back into bed. He was pretty sure Severus had stayed with him until he had fallen asleep but when he had woken up that morning the man had been gone. Harry had washed, dressed and then left the bedroom. No sooner had he done that than Severus came storming through the portrait hole, obviously in a foul mood. One look at his son's tired, sad face seemed to melt away his scowl though and whatever had peeved the man had been instantly forgotten. Breakfast had been called for Harry as it was already half way through the first period of the day and that had led to the current moment.

"Do try and eat something Haryon." Severus urged gently from where he stood behind the sofa that Harry was sitting on. When he had crept up behind him, Harry wasn't sure.

"Sorry, I just don't have much of an appetite." Harry replied but dutifully brought a slice of toast to his lips and took a small bite from the middle so he took none of the crust.

"As understandable as that is, I cannot allow you to go without nothing as we all know you have the tendency to faint when you don't feed yourself." The man pointed out and Harry almost felt the desire to tell him that was a lie just so he could get out of eating the food in front of him that sat in his stomach like a lead weight. He remained silent though and continued to nibble on his toast reluctantly. "You won't be attending lessons this morning." His father told him then as he moved around the side of the sofa. "However, you will be attending lunch in the Great Hall and, depending on how you feel after that, you may very well be attending your classes this afternoon."

"Lunch in the Great Hall?" Harry echoed nervously. The Great Hall meant other people, other people meant fellow Gryffindors, fellow Gryffindors meant Johnathan Potter...

"Yes, I think it would be best not to dwell on this event too much." Severus answered, now standing beside his son. He lovingly brushed a stray strand of hair away from the green eyes it had obscured before resting that same hand on the teenager's shoulder. "If you are still feeling fragile then you may sit at the Head Table with me but you will not be allowed to hide away in here; you have to face the rest of the school eventually Haryon, despite what they may think or say."

Harry nodded in agreement though he applied his father's words to another point; he couldn't keep avoiding Potter forever and he didn't particularly want to. The sooner he was back amongst the school population, the sooner he had been around Potter again, the sooner he could get back to normal and put the terrible new knowledge he possessed to the back of his mind.

3rd February 1993: Midday

The supportive hand on his shoulder, the reassuring presence at his side, the faint scent of stale potions mixed with spice; none of them helped Harry in any way as he walked towards the Great Hall alongside his father, trying desperately not to hyperventilate.

The morning had been still, restful and silent as Harry had used the time to think about everything and anything about his life. He thought about his family, who and where he came from, what had happened to him in the past, possible happenings of the future, what he wanted to happen in the future. Yes, it had been a morning of self-reflection which had left Harry feeling at peace with himself and accepting of his situation. He was the first-born child of Lily and James Potter but that didn't mean he was their son. He had been raised by Severus and the Malfoys and that made him a Snape through and through. He may have Potter genes in him but he was not, in any way, a Potter. He was a Snape and damn proud of it.

After that self-revelation, Harry had actually smiled a little bit and that smile had remained all the way up to Severus coming to get him for lunch. Then it had vanished and all the calm and acceptance of before turned into agitation and the desire to hyperventilate like no one's business.

Okay, true, he had made peace with who his biological family was but that didn't mean he felt even half way ready to confront one of them and act like nothing had changed. And John Potter being who he was would probably take the opportunity to start a fight and Harry wasn't sure he would be able to effectively pull that off without saying/not saying something he might end up regretting. But, of course, there was the option of sitting next to his father during lunch at the Head Table. There was just one problem with that; he really didn't want to. He was fourteen years old and although he didn't care what people thought of him for still enjoying his father's company and sharing affection with the man, he was not going to give certain people, (aka Johnathan Potter and Bethany Zabini) the satisfaction of, basically, "hiding behind daddy". Especially as his cover story really didn't justify such an act as far as the student population probably knew. Actually, he wasn't sure what the student population "knew", he'd have to ask Fred and George when he sat down.

Back to reality and Harry and Severus had reached the doors which led into the Great Hall. They were shut for some horrible, inexcusable reason which meant even more attention would no doubt be drawn to their entrance. For all days for the bloody doors to be closed during a meal!

"Are you sure you'll be all right at the Gryffindor table?" Severus inquired gently one final time. Harry nodded and gave a small noise of confirmation. "Very well then. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." The teenager said with a weak, nervous smile. The hand on his shoulder gave a small, reassuring squeeze before it left in favour of helping the other hand push open the huge doors in front of them.

Harry mentally cringed at the silence which fell over the entire Great Hall as the doors were pushed open and he felt the sudden desire to run away fill him, if only so he didn't have to be under such intense scrutiny from so many people. The firm, supportive hand of Severus came to rest on the small of his back though and it both urged him forward gently and acted as a deterrent to dash back down to the dungeons. Harry's legs moved forward obediently even as he took a deep, composing breath.

Every single eye was on them and Harry could actually feel the stares like hundreds of pin-pricks all over his body; it was more than a little un-nerving. His father seemed unphased as normal and kept his usual, stern teaching face on as he walked with his son down the aisle, towards the area of the Gryffindor table where the familiar heads of ginger hair of Fred and George were. People only moved to shift their positions so they could keep their eyes on him as he moved down length of the hall. Harry noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Draco and Bethany sitting side by side at the Slytherin table; neither looked very happy, both glaring in their direction, though Harry suspected that while Bethany was obviously glaring at him, Draco was probably glaring at Severus.

Finally, Harry and Severus reached Fred and George. The twins wordlessly shuffled apart to make space for Harry to sit down in between them and then looked over their shoulders at him. Harry gave them a weak smile before turning to give his father a small nod as a sign that he was going to be okay. The Potions professor gave him a stiff nod back, gave the surrounding Gryffindors a warning glare, before smoothly gliding the rest of the way up the hall, towards the Head Table. Harry stepped over the bench and settled beside Fred and George. The moment he had, he found himself crushed between then two, their arms around him in a tight embrace.

"If everyone would please return to their meals." Dumbledore asked then. Still no one moved. "Now!" That had sounded rather stern for Dumbledore and it had the desired affect as practically everyone looked away from Harry and back down to their food. A low hum of chatter started up but it wasn't nearly as loud as it usually was.

The arms around Harry loosened and fell away but Fred and George still kept their faces close to Harry's. "What really happened?" George asked quietly but he was still heard by several of the House mates who were sitting around them and they all turned their eyes onto the trio, some more discreetly than others.

Fred turned and glared at them all. "Oi, private conversation if you don't mind." He snapped at them all and they all instantly looked away though it was obvious that they were still straining to listen. There was nothing they could do to stop that though so they would just have to make sure they weren't over heard.

"What are people saying?" Harry inquired quietly.

"The main opinion is that you lost control of the monster from the Chamber of Secrets and it tried to attack you." George whispered, his eyes occasionally flickering to those who were around them.

Harry gave a small chuckle at that and shook his head. "Not even close. I had a vision, a pretty bad one."

"What of?" Fred asked with gentle concern.

"I'm not sure exactly but it was bad. I saw Peter Pettigrew in it and there were also these things that seemed to know I was there. They did something to me..." Harry trailed off, reluctant to go on any further.

"You don't remember what you did to the bathroom?" George asked carefully.

Harry shook his head. "Not really. All I know is one minute I was washing my hands in the bathroom, then I was in that horrible place with Pettigrew and those creatures and then I find myself huddled into the corner of a shower cubical, soaking wet and freezing cold feeling as though I was completely alone in the world."

"Maybe it was Azkaban." Fred mused as he thoughtlessly started to pile things onto Harry's plate.

"Those creatures you saw might've been one of the guards. I don't know that much about them but I've heard Dad mention them once or twice." George pointed out, agreeing with his brother.

Harry gave a small hum of agreement as he picked up one of the sandwiches on his plate and took a small bite. He still wasn't particularly hungry but he could be pretty certain that there were several people in the hall who would be watching him to make sure he ate a certain amount. As he took another bite, there was a gentle tapping on his shoulder. He glanced behind him to see it was Hermione standing there. His sandwich was dropped back onto his plate and he swivelled around on his backside, his legs drawing up for a second in order to avoid kicking George beside him, in order to face her.

"Hi." He greeted her quietly.

"Hi." She returned somewhat shyly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right." He assured her with a light smile. "Thank you, for yesterday, for staying with me."

A blush lit Hermione's cheeks and she looked down at her feet. "Oh, erm, no need to thank me, really, I mean, what else could I have done?"

"I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Oh, you did more than worry me; scared me half to death in fact." Hermione told him, lifting her eyes again to show that she was being playful. "But it doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're all right now." She assured, fully meaning that part.

Harry smiled at her a little more brightly as he held open his arms in invitation. Hermione accepted a little shyly, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around the older boy who wrapped his around her in turn. "Thank you for keeping my secret." He breathed into her ear, barely audible despite it was said right next to her.

"Think nothing of it." She whispered in reply.

A few more seconds passed before they pulled away from each other, their arms dropping. They gave each other smiles once again, partially aware of the attention they had attracted. One thing that neither of them were aware of though was the look of burning hatred that a certain blonde haired Slytherin was sending to the back of frizzy brown hair.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

All in all, lunch hadn't been that horrible. Yes, Harry had been on the receiving end of many a curious look but at least no one had tried to pump him for information. Yes, he'd had to force down food he really hadn't felt like eating. However, he had seen Potter and hadn't reacted in any weird way and he now felt a whole lot more confident in keeping his new knowledge to himself and still being able to act perfectly normal around other people. Indeed, it had been a productive lunch time. Not exactly a comfortable one or one he would ever want to repeat again, but it hadn't been as bad as he thought it would.

Now, making his way out of the Great Hall, he was fairly confident he would make it through the rest of the day just fine. Fred and George had made it clear that they weren't going to just stand by and let people poke their noses into his business and he thought that people probably had a bit more tact than that anyway. Everything would be fine, he would be fine.

"Oi, Harry." Fred said as he nudged his friend lightly with his elbow to get his attention. Harry turned his head to see the red haired teenager was staring back at the doors of the Great Hall. "I think Malfoy wants to have a chat." The dark haired boy turned his head the rest of the way to see that, indeed, the blonde haired Slytherin was stalking towards them rather purposefully.

"I'll, uh, I'll catch up with you both in Divination." Harry assured them, turning to look at the twins again.

"Are you sure?" George inquired worriedly.

"We can wait." Fred offered.

Harry smiled at their concern. "No, it's all right, I'll be fine."

The two Weasleys gave him a penetrating look before sighing and agreeing. They turned away and headed off and Harry focused his attention onto Draco. He opened his mouth to say hello to his best friend as he approached but Draco grabbed his arm and began to drag him away before even a breath could escape. Before too long, Harry had found that he had been dragged into an empty classroom and the door had been shut and locked. Then, without warning, Harry was being held against the wall and the blonde Slytherin was staring at him with an intensity that Harry had never seen before. One thing he had seen were those eyes though; eyes which once again, curiously, looked more silver than grey.

"Have I done something?" Harry asked, confused as to why Draco seemed to be so angry with him. He wasn't afraid in the slightest, he had great trust in the blonde and knew he would never do anything to harm him, but it was a rather intimidating position and he would rather not be in it.

"What happened?" Draco demanded harshly, his eyes not straying from Harry's. "Really?"

"I-I'm not completely sure." Harry answered uneasily, taken aback by Draco's tone. "All of a sudden I was in a different place and it was cold and horrible and grey..." He paused to swallow back tears; re-living the experience was still a challenge obviously. "And there were horrible creatures who made everything so much colder and made me feel so alone..." He choked back a sob stubbornly; he was so sick of crying!

That obviously seemed enough for Draco because he released Harry from the wall in favour of bringing his arms around his best friend tightly and holding him close. "It's all right Harry, it's all right. I'm sorry I asked, I'm sorry I made you cry. There's no need to cry anymore, you're not alone, you'll never be alone as long as I'm here. I'll always be with you because I love you. I love you so much."

Harry released a shuddered breath against where he had his forehead resting on Draco's shoulder. The tears had passed once again, thank the Goddess in his opinion, and he could fully concentrate on what exactly his best friend has said. Was it just his imagination, or had that assurance of love sounded less than brotherly?


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

14th February 1993: Evening

A rather loud yawn rushed out of Harry's widely opened mouth as he trudged down the stairs leading into the Gryffindor common room. It had been a long day and he was tired, exhausted even, yet he could not sleep. It was frustrating and it made no sense, but the moment his head had hit his pillow, he had suddenly been wide awake. And now, even worse, he was back to feeling tired again. He was going to stick to his original plan though; to sit and read in front of the fire and probably fall asleep in the chair only to wake up in a few hours with a stiff neck and sore back.

The common room was understandably empty as it was quite late, plus Valentines day as well. The Upper Years who would still be allowed to be up were most likely off somewhere with love-interests, no doubt doing things which were against the school rules. He imagined that the teachers had more of an "out of sight, out of mind" thing though; the official rule was for the benefit of the parents but it was only enforced if students were actually...Caught in the act, so to speak. Much like Draco.

Despite what Severus obviously thought about him, between listening to Fred and George as well as the general school gossip, Harry felt he had an all too real idea that the blonde Slytherin was no stranger to...Canoodling, in all its various shapes and forms. Especially if the devastated look on several faces that morning when Draco had given him a Valentine's gift were anything to go by. Most of those had been the expressions of people who weren't just upset that the boy they fancied didn't fancy them back but of pure devastation and total shock that they hadn't received something. Though they were Slytherins, maybe they were just so full of themselves that they thought Draco should be interested in them.

And that brought him onto another point. Fred and George were of the opinion that Draco fancied Harry and Harry definitely thought that the soothing "I love you" Draco had said to him on the day after the blood-line parchment incident was anything but brotherly. If all of that was true, why the Hell was Draco going around seemingly with the sole intent on having relations with as many Slytherins as he could possibly manage? It made no real sense. And, to add weight to the Draco loves Harry argument, Harry was the only one in the school who had received a gift from Draco and the look on the blonde's face when he had received the cards and gifts from not only Marcia and Rhys this year but also cards from a shy Ginny and Hermione. He had looked positively enraged. It was all very confusing which was why Harry was handling it in the simplest way possible; he was ignoring it.

Harry collapsed in a nice, soft arm chair in front of the lit fire place and released a soft sigh of comfort. After all the stress of the past two weeks it was nice to have a little bit of quiet time, something he hadn't had the chance to have. Everyone seemed to hold the opinion that he was on the verge of having a repeat episode and so had not left him alone for any significant length of time. If Fred and George weren't by his side then Draco was and every single Potions and Transfiguration lesson he'd had since, he'd been asked to stay behind after class so that his father and his Head of House respectively could ask him how everything was and if he was all right or wanted to talk about something. Hermione also liked to check in with him more often as well, always saying hello if they passed in the corridors and usually finding an excuse to pull him aside every now and again to check how he was holding up. As for the rest of the student population, after the first couple of days had passed, they had been surprisingly respectful of his privacy. They had stopped staring at him and the whispering had also come to an end. He figured that the professors must have said something to them all, or at least Severus had.

Half way through the day after the actual incident, he'd been questioned about what had happened in great detail by Dumbledore. And then, the following Sunday, the questioning had been repeated with High Priest Sephiran. Both occasions had been very trying but Harry had managed to get through them quite easily and he was pretty sure his story had remained consistent the whole time.

A sudden loud thump had Harry eyes, which had closed in relaxation, flying open seconds before he had leapt out of his seat in surprise. He looked in the direction the noise had come from and was more than a little startled to see that Potter was now sitting in a chair in front of a desk over to one side of the common room. "Where did you come from?" He asked, trying to hide how much the sudden noise had startled him. He was so startled in fact that he failed to realise that this was the first time since he had learnt about who he was that he'd had any real contact with the boy.

"No where, I've been here the whole time." Potter answered quickly, too quickly.

"...Okay..." Harry replied unsurely as he moved around his chair, planning on retreating back to his dorm room. However, as he moved past the Second Year, he noticed what it was that was on the desk the boy had been sitting at. He frowned slightly and moved over to it quickly, snatching it up for closer examination before Potter could even react. "Where did you get this?" He breathed in disbelief, recognising the small book perfectly; it was the one he had been given in Knockturn Alley in the summer, before school had even started.

"Found it." Potter shrugged.

"Where?"

"Girls' bathroom." The boy answered easily, obviously not thinking before he spoke.

Harry rose an eyebrow at the boy. "And what were you doing in the girls' bathroom Potter?"

"It was flooded; Ron and I just went in there to see what was going on. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like it back." He said with a frown as he held his hand out.

It was then that Harry's brain decided to remember his newly acquired knowledge of who he was and for a second, he froze completely. Here he was, talking to someone he should hate more than anything and all he could think of was how he was actually his younger brother. They shared the same parents, they had the same genes, they should be somewhat friendly with each other, playing Quidditch together on weekends and sticking together in order to stand up against their parents and other figures of authority. They were brothers, they should have all that, they shared a common history...

But then it hit him that, no, they didn't. They didn't share a common history because Harry had no history with the Potters having spent all of an hour or two with them throughout his entire life. This boy in front of him, waiting for him to hand over the book, he wasn't his brother. He was just a stranger who just happened to have the same birth parents as him. That was the extent of their connection. Harry wasn't anything to do with this boy, he was not part of his family.

Snapping out of his self-induced trance-like thoughts, Harry focused back on Potter and carelessly dropped the book into the younger boy's held out hand. Then, without further word, he turned to go, moving towards the stairs which led up back up to the dorms until his surname being spoken drew his attention. He glanced over his shoulder to find Potter looking somewhat unsure of himself.

"That thing that happened to you a couple of weeks ago, it was nothing too serious, right?" The Second Year asked awkwardly and Harry realised what he was really being asked almost instantly. This wasn't an inquiry made out of pure concern, Potter just wanted to know whether they could continue their rivalry without him having to feel guilty for purposely annoying a teenager with a fragile mind.

"Don't worry Potter, I'm still able to hold my own against a snivelling little brat like you." Harry sneered. "In fact, I think a visit to Professor McGonagall in the morning is in order; I'm sure she'll be extremely interested to know that you're up after your curfew."

"You're up as well!" Potter argued angrily.

"Ah yes, but I'm in a fragile state of mind, aren't I? I'm sure Professor McGonagall would understand me being up because of my nightmares." The older boy smirked before turning back around and heading back up the stairs to his dorm, his triumphant grin remaining on his face right up until he finally fell asleep.

1st April 1993: Morning

"Wake up!" An excited yell right in Harry's ear immediately dragged him back into consciousness and made him wince at the sting it caused. He was aware of the pressure of another's body on his back as he was laying on his stomach and a light frown crossed his tired face.

"Fred, get off me." He muttered irritably, trying to shift the boy on top of him off.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George." The one on top of him protested.

"Honestly Harry, we thought you had it down to a tee the number of times you get it right first go." The other's voice said from beside the bed as the mattress dipped under a new weight.

"Well excuse me for not being completely awake yet but I should still be asleep." Harry mumbled as he tried to pull the covers further up, hoping to get them over his head. "Why am I awake now anyway?"

Both twins gave exaggerated gasps of horror. "Harry, our bestest friend in the world..."

"...Has forgotten that today is the most important day of the year!"

"Not only is it April Fools day..."

"...It is also the anniversary of the birth of two fabulously talented..."

"...Not to mention handsome..."

"...Weasleys."

"You expect me to remember all that the instant I wake up?" Harry grunted. "Have you not been sharing a dorm room with me for the past four years?"

"But it's the first of April!" George pouted insistently.

"Surely that should be the one date engraved in your mind!" Fred said with an obvious grin in his tone.

"Oh yes, of course it is, the most important day in my life." Harry grinned back as he pushed himself up onto his forearms, finally managing to buck George off of him. "I take it you both want your presents now, then?" He mumbled as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and paused a moment to rub his eyes with one hand as he reached blindly for his glasses with the other.

"Of course." They chorused together.

Harry slipped his glasses onto his nose and glanced at the two boys, stopping completely when he saw what they had pinned to their school robes. Each wore absolutely massive badges, about the sizes of sandwich plates, which read "Now I'm fifteen", their new age, and then swirled away into fireworks and streamers and the words "Anyone younger is not worthy" appeared before going back to the first scene.

"My gift to Fred." George grinned.

"And my gift to George." Fred mimicked his brother exactly.

"Original." He yawned sarcastically as he stood up and trudged around to get to his trunk at the foot of his bed. He opened the top and rummaged around inside a bit before pulling out a couple of wrapped boxes. "Happy birthday to the both of you." He wished with his first real smile of the day as he held out both of the gifts for the appropriate twin.

"Thanks." George said quickly as he grabbed his present and immediately began to rip into it.

"Thanks Harry." Fred said more calmly, taking his present and pulling it open rather than tearing or ripping it.

"Oooo!" George gushed excitedly as he held his newly revealed gift in front of himself at arm's length. "Mad Alchemist Potions for Fizzing, Swelling and Sticking Kit!"

"The only training potions kit officially recommended by Potions Master Professor Severus Snape." Harry grinned as he returned to his trunk to pull out his school robes. "He was the one who recommended it and yours too Fred." He explained as he looked up to Fred who had finished un-wrapping his own gift which was a similar kit to George's but contained different ingredients and different instructions on what to make.

"Oh, there are going to be so many people cursing your generosity Harry." Fred cackled gleefully as he pulled open the box and began to sort through all the different things it contained.

Harry only smiled at that, glad that his gifts were appreciated, before he left the twins alone in order to get washed and dressed for the day ahead.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Greetings of happy birthday from their fellow Gryffindors welcomed Fred and George and, by default, Harry, as they entered the Great Hall for breakfast. The twins were still wearing the badges they had given each other and had huge grins on their faces, the like of which could probably power a light bulb. They sat down at their usual spot at the Gryffindor table and, almost instantly, Fred was diving for the food as though he hadn't eaten for days. George though, was looking slightly pondering.

"What d'ya reckon the chances are of the professors letting us eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner?" The red head queried.

"Slim." Harry laughed as he grabbed a piece of toast to butter.

"That should be a new rule that people can eat whatever they want on their birthday." George mused.

"That would hardly be fair on us lot who have our birthdays during the summer or the Christmas holidays." Harry argued.

"Surely the fact you don't have to have lessons on your birthday more than makes up for it?" Fred joined the conversation after swallowing a mouthful of scrambled egg.

Harry opened his mouth to reply but closed it again when he noticed there three familiar mops of red hair coming their way. "Looks like you both have more presents coming your way." He noted to his friends, inclining his head to the approaching Weasley off-spring. The twins looked to see their siblings and immediately leapt up, dashing off to meet their brothers and sister halfway.

As the gaggle of Weasley's interacted, Harry watched them all but admittedly paid more attention the youngest one out of them all; Ginny. She was a strange girl really. At the beginning of the school year, she had been completely fine. She had made friends quickly, she had a teeny crush on him and she had generally looked happy. Now though, Harry wasn't sure why, but she seemed more quiet. She still hung around with her friends but it almost seemed as if she was simply sitting next to them rather than with them, she still acted oddly around him but there seemed to be more to her discomfort than just a minor crush now and she no longer looked particularly happy. On edge, reclusive, nervous; yes. Happy in any way at all; no.

What had happened to make things change though? Had something happened between her and her friends? No, he thought that was unlikely as the girls she went around with still seemed more than happy to have her around and he had seen them try their hardest to include her in their conversations on several occasions. Could it be the affects of the pressures of Hogwarts? It was a possibility but surely if that were the case he could see her surrounded in homework and text books more often. Was it something to do with her crush on him? Probably not as nothing had actually ever happened between them to upset her, seriously or otherwise.

When it came down to it, Harry really didn't have a single clue as to what was wrong with the only female Weasley off-spring. He wondered idly, as he watched the girl in question give first Fred and then George separate hugs, if any of her brothers had noticed the odd behaviour and if they had, were they worried about it? Maybe he should mention it to Fred and George? Or maybe Percy would be a better way to go since he was the most mature, even over Charlie and Bill, Harry reckoned. Or perhaps Hermione had noticed something; he had seen Ginny spending some time with her when neither Ron or Potter were around.

Or perhaps, when it came down to it, maybe there wasn't actually anything wrong. After all, what did he, a fourteen year old boy, know about the social habits of a pre-teen girl? Perhaps this was something totally normal for girls to go through, though he couldn't remember Hermione going through it...But everyone was different weren't they? In the end, who was to say what was normal at their age and what wasn't?

Harry made his decision. If things seemed to get worse or showed no real signs, no matter how small, or improving, then he'd have a word with Percy or Hermione. Until then however, he would stay silent but make sure to continue to keep an eye on the girl, just in case.

8th May 1993: Morning

"How many do you think we're gonna win by?" Fred asked as he pulled his shirt off of his shoulders to reveal his slightly toned, pale chest.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not modest." Harry teased as he sat down on a bench in order to tie the laces of his shoes, already fully dressed in his Quidditch gear. He glanced up and noticed that the Weasley was now standing there digging through his bag for his Quidditch uniform in nothing more than his underwear; bright yellow boxers with smiley faces. "In any sense of the word." The dark haired boy added.

Fred looked up and then glanced down at himself before grinning. "Just giving the people what they want." He said with a wink.

"And he has got a point." George supported his brother's words as he struggled to pull on the trousers of his uniform. "We are playing Hufflepuff after all."

"They've got Cedric Diggory." Harry pointed out.

"One man, a team does not make." George announced grandly, finally getting his trousers on.

"Besides, we've got you." Fred pointed out, earning a frown from his brother for stepping all over his previous point. "Plus, I'll bet you anything no one will even dare come near you for fear of being petrified."

"Thanks for that Fred." Harry grinned ruefully as he looked around himself to try and locate where he had left his shin-pads.

"You're welcome. So, back to the original question; how many do you think we'll win by?" Fred queried.

"Twenty." Harry predicted with a sigh, feeling he had no choice but to play along even though it was rather big-headed of them to just assume they were going to win.

"We are playing against Hufflepuff remember." Fred reminded playfully and Harry knew full well that the Weasley was trying to annoy him.

"Oh yes, I know who we're playing against but you and George haven't been playing all that great recently have you?" The dark haired boy mused in an overly pondering tone, pausing his search in favour of sending a small smirk in Fred's direction once he had spoken.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you including me in that insult? What have I done to you?" George protested.

"You went along with his "we're only playing Hufflepuff thing"." The dark haired boy answered, knowing that it was a rather weak excuse. George no doubt had something to say about that but whatever it was went unheard by Harry as everything around him faded to black.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

He stood in a void of nothingness, just darkness all around Him. Turning, He glanced around himself quickly, trying to locate what it was He was supposed to be seeing. And then there it was, right in front of Him, a hand mirror floating in mid-air. He stepped up to it and peered at the reflective surface. Piercing yellow snake-eyes met His in the mirror and His body stiffened painfully as everything faded away, but not before He saw the reflection of who He was in the mirror...

Hermione Granger.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

When reality returned to Harry, he found himself being held up by Fred and George who were calling for someone to go and get a professor. It took him a few seconds to dispel the groggy sensation which was making it hard for him to think properly but when it had sufficiently faded, exactly what he had seen rushed back to him and he began to wrestle to get out of his friends' arms. Having not expected the sudden fight, Fred and George lost their grip on him and he staggered away from them.

"Harry, what..." Fred began to ask as he and George made a move to steady the dark haired boy but he moved away from them quickly, starting forward in a run.

"Hermione." Was all that Harry said as he sped off, the other people in the changing room making sure to get out of his way as he zoomed past them.

Why hadn't he seen it before? Why hadn't he figured it out in his own? Hermione was Muggle-born, she was obviously going to be a target for whatever it was that was committing these attacks. Surely the teachers knew as well, they could've warned her! He still had time though, he knew he did, he could feel it. What he had seen, it hadn't happened yet, it would happen soon, but not yet. There was still time to get to her, to protect her.

There were running footsteps following him, he could hear them. That was fine, he didn't mind. It might even prove useful, especially if he got there before Hermione was petrified as that might mean they had a monster they'd have to fight and he wasn't confident about a Second Year and a pacifist's chances against a monster.

Where was he going? He wasn't sure, he was just letting his feet guide him. He'd found out that in situations like this it was usually best to follow his gut instinct if he wanted things to turn out for the best. So he just kept running as he tried to reassure himself that he'd reach her in time to save her.

"Haryon!"

That was his father's voice but it still wasn't enough to make him stop, not even for long enough to give a brief explanation as to what was wrong. Every second was valuable, even more so when he heard that all too familiar hissing voice which came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Every time he had heard that voice, someone had turned up petrified. He was running out of time, he could feel it.

He skidded around a corner and saw that straight ahead of him was the entrance to the library which, now he was here, was the obvious choice. Where else would Hermione be? Without consideration for the librarian, who didn't seem to be present anyway, he simply continued to run, his shoes clicking loudly on the bare floor. He paused once inside, trying to hear if there were any clues as to where Hermione was. There was only the sound of running footsteps behind him though, everything else was still and silent. Now feeling an acute sense of dread, Harry took off again, heading to the nearest aisle to check.

Twelve aisles later and Harry was starting to lose hope. He wasn't the only one in the library now, a gaggle of professors plus Fred and George having arrived. Maybe he had been wrong, maybe what he had seen was going to happen soon, but not yet, in a day or two perhaps. Or maybe his instincts were off and Hermione had been attacked but in a different part of the school.

But then he saw her and all his doubts were replaced with heart-ache as he came to an abrupt stop and just stared at the prone figure. She was on the floor, obviously having over-balanced now she was like a statue. One of her arms was still reaching out as if putting back a book while the other was held in front of her, a small hand mirror in her clenched hand. He broke out of his freeze and took the last few steps to her side, dropping to his knees beside her heavily, most likely bruising the skin there, not that he cared. Sadly, he reached a hand out to her and gently ran the pads of his index and middle fingers down the side of her face; so cold, so stiff. He'd failed her, he hadn't got to her in time...

They had been found now, Harry could feel the presences around him and he heard the gasps of some of them as he kept his eyes on Hermione's still face. And then there was movement and large, firm hands were on his arms, easing him up and away from Hermione gently. He obeyed them though his gaze didn't leave the girl on the floor. It was only when a finger tilted his head back and to the side slightly that he allowed his eyes to move to the dark figure of his father to stood to his side and slightly behind him.

"I tried to reach her in time..." Harry whispered as the fingers moved away from his chin and his eyes closed, his head bowing in regret.

An arm came around his shoulder and Harry needed no further invitation before he turned in to his father's body and rested his forehead against the man's chest, just beside the beating heart within. "I know you did." The quiet reply came and served its purpose in reassuring the dark haired boy. He had tried his best, he could do no more than that.

8th May 1993: Evening

Harry sighed heavily as he trudged towards the Gryffindor Tower, intent on going to his dorm room and sleeping for the rest of his life. It had been a horrible day. First, poor Hermione was petrified and then another girl, a Penelope Clearwater, was found petrified as well. Two attacks in one day; it was safe to say that things were getting increasingly dangerous at Hogwarts.

After Severus was satisfied that Harry was fine, if not a little shaken, he'd been sent to Dumbledore's office where he was asked about what exactly it was that he had seen in his vision. However, they hadn't even got half way through the questions when they were interrupted by someone who Harry recognised not by his face but by his name; Blake Zabini, father of Bethany and Blaise. The man had brought with him a Vote of No Confidence against Dumbledore which had been signed by all the School Governors which had served only to infuriate Harry; Lucius was on the Board of Governors and there was no way in Hell he would vote to have Dumbledore replaced, he was too thankful to the elderly wizard for all that he had done for them. Yet Professor Dumbledore went along with it! He took the scroll, didn't even look at and then calmly left with the ex-Death Eater scum that Zabini Senior was.

The dark haired teenager had remained behind for a few moments, being comforted by Fawkes all the while, before he decided to leave. Then, when he was passing an area close to the front entrance to the school, he had heard the familiar, loud voice of Hagrid. He'd gone to investigate only to find that the half giant was being escorted off of the premises and being sent to Azkaban! Azkaban of all places! Why? What could poor Hagrid have possibly done to deserve Azkaban on such short notice, without trial or anything? He had heard the man he recognised as the Minister of Magic saying that Hagrid's record was working against him here which only confused Harry more. Hagrid had a record to work against him? But it was Hagrid! The man would sooner hurt himself than hurt a fly for goodness sake! But the most frustrating part? He hadn't been able to do anything, not a single thing. All he had been able to do was watch as Hagrid was taken away.

And that leads us back to right now; a thoroughly depressed and angry Harry on his way to bed. All of this was so and unfair and unjust! It was times like this that Harry found himself doubting the actions of the Great Lady and Fate. How could all that was happening possibly be for the greater good? What good could possibly come out of all of this? He felt so useless and lost and, although he couldn't see the benefit of all of this in the long run, he kept his faith as strong as he could; there was a plan, it was a good plan and it was a plan which was going to work because if the plans of a Goddess couldn't work out right, what hope did the rest of them have?

11th May 1993: Afternoon

"Haryon?"

Harry heard nothing as he continued to stare out of the window he was sitting next to in the classroom he was in with Sephiran. Their lesson was being held in a classroom for once in respect for Dumbledore's absence, or so the High Priest said. It hardly mattered what the reason was though. For Harry, the new surroundings were just a reminder of everything that had happened over the last few days. It was depressing and not to mention distracting.

"Haryon!" High Priest Sephiran said again, coming to stand next to his student and resting a hand on the teenager's shoulder.

That snapped Harry out of his stare. He looked up at the Elvish man and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, erm, sorry High Priest, I was just..."

"Is there anything you would like to talk about Haryon?" Sephiran asked gently, nothing in his tone except sympathy.

Harry sighed lightly and lowered his gaze sadly. "High Priest, do you ever wonder if, maybe, the Great Lady's plans work against us?"

"A crisis of faith Haryon?" The long haired man inquired, one eyebrow lifting curiously.

"Oh no, not at all, of course not!" Harry insisted quickly, looking up. "It's just, with everything that's happening at the moment...I can't see how it's helping or how it will help us. Professor Dumbledore's been forced to take a leave of absence, poor Hagrid's been taken to Azkaban, so many students have been petrified..."

Sephiran's eyes grew sad and he gazed down at his apprentice. "And you believe there is no hope?"

"Yes...No...I don't know..." The teenager said weakly, his eyes closing in despair.

"Haryon, if we were left to live our lives without hardship or strife, how would we ever learn anything? And, when our time comes and we leave this life, how would we be able to appreciate the Great Meadow for the bliss that it is?" The High Priest pointed out softly.

"But everything's going so terribly wrong and, well, no one can keep winning forever. Surely, one day, each of us is destined to lose?"

"Perhaps we are, but we, you and I and every other Havanist in this world, are here to carry out the Great Lady's will and She will make it so we do not fail if only so that Her will is the one which succeeds. Not that that is the only reason. The Great Lady will protect us because She loves us, and we love Her." Sephiran explained patiently. He rested his hand on top of Harry's head in a gesture of comfort. "Even the most faithful of us have had doubts Haryon; it's hard sometimes to put all your trust and faith into something which you have no stable proof of. But we continue on despite those doubts and, more often than not, something happens which only serves to strengthen our faith and ourselves."

"So, you're saying that I just need to, basically, wait it out?" Harry inquired, trying to simplify all that his teacher had just told him.

"Yes, basically, that is what I'm saying. Our Great Lady is not like the people from your past Haryon; She will not abandon you." The man told him gently but in a very pointed tone and Harry found himself instantly cheered and in lighter spirit. He remembered then that no matter what happened to him in life, his Goddess would never leave his side.

26th May 1993: Night

The sound of dripping water. Each drip echoing before fading into silence. Then another drip sounded and the same thing happened. The processed carried on; a continuous cycle.

He stood in a void of darkness as always, not that He could see; His head was bowed and His eyes were closed. There was nothing around Him and the only sound was that of the dripping water. Then, a sliding sound; something which was already slick passing over a damp surface. The drips continued with the sliding sound. It all continued together and throughout the time, He did not lift his head or open his eyes.

The sound of sliding grew louder and He was suddenly aware of a presence nearby. Still His eyes remained shut and he did not move. Slowly, a pressure beginning at his ankles and then curling, twisting upwards surrounded him in a rather comfortable embrace. The sensation of whatever it was on His bare arms was odd: cold; slippery; softness covered by something stiff and protective. And it was a protective hold; not painful but not allowing Him to move in any way or to be taken.

"Not you." A hissing voice whispered somewhere right next to Him. "My target isss the othersss."

His head lifted slowly, almost trance-like. Then, when His head was raised completely, His eyes eased open gradually. Bright green eyes were met with never-ending darkness and, inches away from his face, another pair of eyes; bright yellow snake-like ones. They shined out of the black like they were their own light source, strangely hypnotic and incredibly disturbing. Yet He didn't look away, He continued to stare into them with a blank gaze, as though He was already under a spell. And as He gazed into them, they slowly began to turn red, the crimson seeping towards the outside, like a drop of ink on blotting paper.

"My target isss not you." The strange voice hissed around him again once the eyes were completely red. "You are to be protected."

"Why isss thisss?" He hissed in a monotone.

"Becaussse you belong to the Heir." The voice answered as the eyes faded away into blackness. The pressure around His body faded into nothingness. He was alone.

The dripping had stopped. Everything was silent.

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Harry's eyes flew open in an instant as he woke immediately after his dream had ended. All look of realisation was the dominant expression on his face as his dream suddenly made sense to him somehow; the Heir of Slytherin was Voldemort.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

29th May 1993: Evening

The sound of footsteps occasionally splashing in puddles and echoing off of the bare stone walls which surrounded them was all that there was for Harry and Ron to listen to as they walked wordlessly, only guided by the glowing silver of the "Lumos" Harry had cast with Ron's wand. It was cold and wet and the fact that Harry was only wearing pyjamas didn't help that at all. He frowned lightly to himself; what was it with stuff like this happening to him just when he was getting ready to go to bed?

It had been a long, stressful day and Harry had treated himself to a long shower and then planned on having an early night. The best laid plans etc, etc, though as he had just left the bathroom clean, relaxed and dressed in his pyjamas when a frantic Ron Weasley had crashed right into him and then promptly started to babble about a whole mess of words which seemed to make no sense as he pulled on Harry's arm, steering him out of the Gryffindor common room. Harry had tried to tell the panicking boy that a) they weren't allowed out of the common room without professor supervision anymore, b) he was wearing nothing but pyjamas and needed to put some clothes on and c) if Ron wanted him to help with anything, he'd probably need his wand which was currently sitting in his trunk at the end of his bed. Ron had ignored all this and simply talked over him frantically.

Eventually, Harry had given up and allowed himself to be taken wherever it was Ron wanted him which, curiously, was the little used girls' bathroom. In there, he found Potter holding his broken wand on Professor Lockhart who looked more than a little reluctant to be there. And then finally everything was explained to him properly. Ginny had been taken down to the Chamber of Secrets, it was a basilisk who had been petrifying the students, Lockhart was helping them under protest and they needed a Parselmouth to open the door to the Chamber for them. A short word in parseltongue, a conversation with Moaning Myrtle and a few threats to Lockhart later, the four of them had entered the Chamber and made their way further inside.

Then, they had found a snake skin which was more than a little disturbing. To shorten the events greatly, Lockhart had managed to get Potter's wand away from him when Harry and Ron were further up the tunnel, several feet ahead, and had then told them his plan to Obliviate them all and run back up to where it was safe. Potter's broken wand had caused the curse to backfire though and Lockhart ended up Obliviating himself and causing half the tunnel to cave in, in the process, cutting Harry and Ron off from Potter and Lockhart. With no other choice, Harry and Ron had continued alone leaving Potter with instructions to try and clear some of the rubble so that they could get through again once they had saved Ginny.

And that brings us back to the current moment with the two Gryffindors trudging through the dark, damp tunnel. Harry had released his staff as he had no wand of his own but he also held Ron's wand seeing as out of the pair of them, he was the one who knew the "Lumos" charm. At least everything was quiet. Quiet meant that there was no one else around which meant that one aspect of danger was removed. Still, this was the Chamber of Secrets, there was bound to be danger including that of a bloody huge basilisk.

Now that Harry knew it was a basilisk which had been going around the school, it seemed so obvious. That's why he had been hearing a voice that only he could hear, he had been hearing the basilisk. And the petrification could be explained by the fact that everyone who had been petrified had seen the basilisk through something rather than face on. And his dreams over the last few months, the ones which had been getting a little more detailed every time he had one, they made sense now too. In fact, Harry was practically kicking himself for not figuring it all out before.

Moving into a new area, a very familiar sound from his dreams reached Harry; a definite, constant dripping of water into a puddle. It was exactly like his dream, dripping and then echoing into silence again before repeating. He moved Ron's wand over to the left side of the area they were now in to try and see where the sound was coming from and gasped at what he saw. Over by the wall there was the dripping water, falling from the ceiling in a steady pattern. The surprising thing, however, was that the water was black. From his past experiences with black rain/water, it was almost definitely confirmed in Harry's mind; this night, he would face Voldemort again.

"Harry?" Ron asked, peering at the same area the older Gryffindor was. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, it's nothing. I just..." He paused and looked to Ron. "Nothing, doesn't matter. C'mon, let's get moving again." He ordered, his eyes flickering back over to where he had seen the black drips as he began to walk forward again. Not surprisingly, the water was back to being clear and watery.

For several more minutes the two Gryffindors walked in silence, the only sound around them being the occasional drip and the sound of their footsteps on the damp stone underneath their feet. They kept their pace steady and constant, determined to find Ginny quickly but also aware that caution needed to be upheld. However, when they passed underneath a massive arch and entered an absolutely massive chamber, caution was thrown to the wind upon spotting the still form of Ron's little sister laying on the floor over on the other side.

"Ginny!" Ron cried fearfully as he took off in a sprint toward her, Harry following on behind him quickly. Their running footsteps pounded on the wet stone as they dashed over to her. Ron practically threw himself to the floor at her side and grabbed her hand. "Merlin, Ginny!" He called to her, using his free hand to pat her cheek repeatedly. "C'mon Ginny, wake up! Oh please don't be dead, don't be dead..."

Harry got down beside Ginny, opposite Ron, and reached to press his index and middle fingers to her neck. It took him a few seconds but he did, eventually, find the beat he was looking for. "It's all right, she's not dead, but her pulse is really weak." He removed his fingers and began to look the girl over. "I can't see anything actually wrong with her, no puncture wounds or bruising...I'll try a healing spell though, it might work." With that, he held his staff out slightly over Ginny and opened his mouth to speak.

"That won't do anything, she won't wake." A voice from the side came and both Harry and Ron turned their heads to see a teenager, probably about sixteen years old, step out from the shadows, dressed in Slytherin robes.

A horrible sensation of deja vu chilled Harry and he got to his feet so he could quickly move in front of Ron quickly, holding his staff in front of himself protectively. "Don't come any closer." He ordered the boy, glaring over at him suspiciously.

"She's still alive, but only just. And, as she grows ever weaker, I grow stronger." The boy told them, a faint sneer detectable in his tone, totally ignoring the fact that Harry had spoken.

"You bastard!" The fiery red head screamed furiously as snatched his wand away from Harry and charged forwards towards the Slytherin boy.

"No Ron, don't!" Harry cried, trying to grab the Second Year as he ran past him.

Ron managed to dodge Harry's grip and carried on towards the Slytherin boy, taking a leap at him when he was close enough. However, instead of colliding with the Slytherin, he passed right through him. Both Gryffindors gasped as Ron kept going, landing on the wet, stone floor behind. The ginger haired boy looked at his now empty hand in astonishment and the turned his gaze onto the strange boy, beyond shocked to see that the older teenager now held his wand in his right hand.

"What are you?" Harry asked, his tone soft and confused.

"A memory, preserved in a diary for fifty years." The older Slytherin answered simply, his gaze falling onto Harry and softening slightly.

"Then, you're not real..." Harry said carefully, unsure whether he was on the right track or not.

"No, not yet, but as soon as Ginny dies, I will be; Very real indeed." The Slytherin assured him, as though Harry had asked the question out of concern.

"Why her?" Ron demanded angrily, getting back up onto his feet. "Why my sister? Out of everyone in this whole bloody school why did you choose her?"

"Because she was already under my control." Harry's eyes flickered down to the small, black leather book that rested on Ginny's stomach, one of her hands resting on top of it. "Yes Harry," the boy said, noticing Harry's brief look. "It was Ginny Weasley who opened the Chamber of Secrets..."

"No, she wouldn't..." Ron tried to argue.

"It was Ginny who set the basilisk onto the Mudbloods and Filch's cat, it was Ginny who wrote the threatening messages on the walls."

"But why would she?" Harry asked, his tone sad and confused.

"Because I told her to." The teenager told them as though it was obvious. "You'll find that I can be very persuasive. Not that she knew what she was doing. She was in, shall we say, a sort of trance. Still, the power of the diary began to scare her and she tried to dispose of it in the girls' bathroom."

"That's where John and I found it!" Ron gasped.

"Ah yes, John Potter, not exactly who I had in mind for finding it. I would've much preferred it to have gone to you." He told Harry, turning his gaze on the oldest Gryffindor pointedly.

"Why him?" Ron asked with a frown.

"Because he's Voldemort." Harry answered for the boy quietly, not taking his eyes away from the Slytherin.

"He's who!" Ron cried, staggering back, away from the young Dark Lord.

"Congratulations Harry, I didn't think you'd figure me out completely on your own, without even the help of my memory." Voldemort said as he continued to look at the dark haired boy and, Harry wasn't sure, but he could've sworn there was a hint of pride in his tone.

"Does that mean you opened the Chamber last time?" Ron asked cautiously, edging around where Voldemort stood in order to make it back over to Harry, aka safety. "But John said that Hagrid..."

"Do you honestly think that a bumbling, soft-hearted simpleton like Hagrid could possibly control a creature powerful enough to kill with a single glance?" Voldemort sneered with an air of superiority.

"You framed him." Harry accused darkly just as Ron reached him and immediately hid behind him.

"It was my word against his, only Dumbledore seemed to think that he was innocent." Tom frowned at the memory.

"I bet Dumbledore saw right through you." Harry sneered.

"He certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after that. I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still in school so I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen year old self within its pages so that one day I would be able to guide another and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."

"Well you haven't finished it this time. In a few hours the Mandrake Drought will be ready and everybody who was petrified will be revived." Harry told him smugly, glaring up at the taller boy defiantly.

"Haven't I told you? Killing Mudbloods doesn't interest me anymore. For the last few months, my main priority has been you." Voldemort said in what Harry thought was a rather lecherous tone. He raised his staff again, ready to defend himself and Ron if necessary. "Oh please Harry, do you really think your silly Elvish magic will be any use against me once I'm fully revived, once again becoming the greatest wizard in the world!"

"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world!" Harry retorted angrily, keeping his staff up.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of his castle by the mere memory of me."

"No, he'll never be gone, just as long as those who remain are loyal to him." Harry insisted proudly, raising his chin against the older teenager in front of him. A few seconds of tense silence followed that as all three wizards tried to stare each other down. The silence was broken however, with a familiar call of a bird. "Fawkes?" Harry murmured to himself, not daring to look up while Voldemort was still staring at him. However, when the Slytherin looked up, Harry and Ron did so too. Low and behold, there was Dumbledore's phoenix circling above them, something clutched in his talons.

All eyes remained on the creature as it swooped down, dropping what it held right in front of Harry, it landing just by his feet. Harry quickly picked it up and unfurled it with his free hand, allowing them all to see what it was that they had been sent. The result was less than encouraging for the two Gryffindors. "So this is what Dumbledore sends his precious Gryffindors? A song bird and an old hat." Tom sneered before sweeping past a glaring Harry and a confused Ron.

"Harry, what are we supposed to do with the Sorting Hat?" Ron whispered desperately, stepping up to the older boy's side quickly and glancing down at the worn hat that Harry still held.

Before Harry even had a chance to answer, the hissing of parseltongue caught his attention. Both boys looked over their shoulders to see Voldemort standing in front of the massive snake statue built into the back wall of the chamber, the mouth of which was opening slowly. The evil teenager turned towards them and smirked. "Let us see how well a mouldy old hat fairs you in a confrontation with a fully grown basilisk."

The basilisk hadn't even appeared before Harry gripped Ron's shoulder and forcefully turned him around to face the direction they had entered from before he had forced himself forward into a full run. "Wait, what about my sister!" The boy argued as he tried to stop himself as behind them the sound of sliding against wet stone began.

"We'll come back for her." Harry assured. "Right now, whatever you do, don't look behind you, just keep running."

Ron stopped talking at that order and for the next few seconds, both Gryffindors just concentrated on running as fast as their legs would allow them. Unfortunately, considering the speed at which they were moving, it wasn't surprising that their legs started to suffer, starting to feel wobbly and out of control. Harry's weren't as bad as Ron's as he obviously ran around a lot more than the Weasley, (being the sole focus of a homicidal maniac could do that to a person's life) so he managed to stay relatively steady. However, Ron wasn't so lucky and lost his footing. One moment he was running beside Harry and then next he had landed face down on the floor with a loud thud.

Harry slid to a stop as soon as he realised what had happened and, closing his eyes, moved in front of the boy protectively. "Ron, run!" Harry insisted quickly as, in front, the basilisk was getting very close to them. Ron looked for a second as though he was about to argue but anything he was about to say died on his lips as he scrambled up onto his feet and dashed away.

"Ssstop you idiotic creature!" The voice of Voldemort yelled to the snake as Ron's running began to echo and fade away and the basilisk missed sinking its teeth into Harry by mere centimetres.

There was a slight pause then before the basilisk wrapped itself around Harry in one swift movement, and the dark haired Gryffindor immediately bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut tightly in order to avoid the eyes he knew were bright yellow. He tried to keep his breathing steady but failed miserably as he felt the thin, pointed tongue of the giant snake flicker over the surface of his face. Then, as quickly as the snake had wrapped around him, it was gone, slithering past him, in the direction that Ron had gone.

"No, wait!" Harry called to the snake in parseltongue, trying to get its attention back onto him.

"It won't show any interest in you Harry because it knows not to attack you." Voldemort told him easily from where he stood over by Ginny. Harry turned to look at the sixteen year old. "It knows not to attack what belongs to me."

"I do not belong to you." Harry ground out angrily as he stalked forwards, intending to get to Ginny's side in order to check on her. As he walked, he thought he heard a far off cry of a bird along with a furiously hissing voice yelling insults and obscenities and he prayed that whatever it was that was happening was in Ron's favour.

Reaching Ginny, he got down onto his knees beside her and gently took one of her hands in his. It was so incredibly cold. Like the skin of those who had been petrified. And she was so very pale. If it wasn't for the faint pulse he could feel in her wrist, he would've been sure she was already dead. "It won't be long now." Voldemort told him, as if he had read the Gryffindor's mind. "And once she has made her departure, I will cease to be a memory and Lord Voldemort will return, very much alive."

"I've stopped you before, I will find a way to stop you again." Harry told him stiffly, not lifting his eyes from the dying girl at his knees. A sudden chill over-came him then and he held back a shudder at the sensation. When a very noticeable cold patch spread just underneath his chin, he raised it knowing that it was Voldemort getting too close and if he hadn't have moved, he would've been treated to a lovely head rush and that would only be if he was lucky. By lifting his head, his face came an inch away from that of the young Dark Lord's, their eyes meeting instantly.

"You say that my love, but answer me this; how exactly did you defeat me the first time?" He asked gently, though there was a definite patronising edge in his tone. And worse of all, Harry couldn't answer because he didn't know how he had defeated Voldemort the first time and he couldn't do what he had done last time, there was nothing to exorcise Voldemort's spirit/memory from. "You see?" The Slytherin cooed, bringing one of his hands up to hover just over Harry's cheek much to the younger boy's distaste. "There'll be nothing you can do."

Harry glared at him angrily. "But there'll be plenty I can try." He insisted in a hard tone just as fast, splashing footsteps reached their ears. Voldemort backed away from the Gryffindor as Harry turned around to see Ron dashing over to him and Ginny. "Ron, are you all right?" He reared up to glance over the red head's shoulder. "Where's the basilisk?"

"I...I lost it." Ron panted as he slowed to a stop, leaning forward with his hands supporting his upper body on his thighs. "Some-somewhere back there." He said with a weak wave of his hand in the general direction he'd just come from. "Fawkes came...Scratched its eyes out...Before he was hit aside. I think he must've got knocked out because he didn't get up again."

"Fawkes?" Harry asked, concerned.

"No, the basilisk; of course the bloody bird!" Ron yelled, his frustration obviously getting the better of him for a moment at least. Then, suddenly, without warning, the basilisk came crashing through a wall on the other side of the chamber sending a spray of rubble and dust shooting out, thankfully far away from where they were. It was obvious that the snake was blinded by the torn flesh around where its eyes had been and the blood which oozed from the wounds. Harry gave a small gasp at its appearance and turned to stare at Ron slightly accusingly. "Well I thought I'd lost it." The red head said weakly.

Harry gave a small cringe before turning back to face the on coming basilisk quickly, raising his staff in front of him as he did so. "Beria(1)!" He called, creating a shielding dome of light which covered all three of them: himself; Ginny and Ron. The basilisk continued on towards them and collided head first with the front of the dome. The impact strained Harry slightly and he winced with the effort of maintaining the barrier but other than that he remained unmoving.

"How long can you hold this?" Ron asked quietly, not taking his eyes off of the blind basilisk.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On how long he manages to keep doing this." Harry grunted with some effort as the basilisk continuously pounded on the light which surrounded them completely with its massive head.

"Do you think it might end up knocking itself out?" Ron inquired slightly desperately.

"What I'm hoping." The older boy admitted.

Several minutes passed and still the basilisk was keeping its attacks on their shield constant in power and frequency. It was getting an ever increasing struggle for Harry to keep the barrier up but it wasn't too impossible at that moment. Give it a few more minutes though...

Opening his eyes, Harry saw the basilisk rear up to make another lurch into the light which surrounded him and the two Weasleys. Behind the snake, he saw a slightly smirking Tom Riddle who was obviously entertained by what was happening. If there was one thing Harry really wanted at that point, it was to punch the smarmy git right in the nose. He averted his gaze and it landed on the Sorting Hat a few feet away from where they were stuck standing. And, he wasn't sure if seeing things or not, but he was sure that he saw something inside it glittering every so often...

"Ron, do you know the Summoning spell?" He asked quickly.

"No."

"Do you think you could give it a go if I told you what to do?"

"I, uh...Can't you do it?" Ron asked nervously.

"I have to maintain the shield; I can't do both at the same time." Harry reasoned, keeping his eyes forward in concentration. "It's not hard at all Ron. You just say Accio and then the name of whatever it was you want to come to you."

"Um, okay...What is it we want to come to us?" Ron questioned unsurely.

"The Sorting Hat; there has to be a reason Fawkes brought it down for us."

"Alright...Accio, was it?"

"Yep, that's it, perfect. Just point and say it." Harry instructed in as normal a voice as he could manage considering the situation they were currently in.

Ron took in a deep breath before letting it out again in a slow, steady whoosh. He raised his wand and pointed the tip directly at the limp form of the Sorting Hat. "Accio Sorting Hat." He said in a calm, clear voice. The old hat jerked forward slightly before coming to a stop.

"Don't give up." Harry encouraged the younger boy. "That was good for a first try considering the circumstances. Try again and focus on nothing but the hat and bringing it over to us. Don't worry about him," he inclined his head above where the basilisk was still trying to get to them. "He can't get to us."

A determined expression, similar to that which had been on his face during the previous year and the troll incident, crossed Ron's face and he steadied his wand. "Accio Sorting Hat." He said again, his tone much firmer than it had been the previous time. The movement of the hat was still jerky and it didn't actually lift off the ground completely, but never-the-less it did move and it was dragged over to them, coming to a stop at the edge of their shield. Ron quickly moved to it and he dipped down to pick it up before beginning to look it over in his hands. "Now what do we do with it?"

"Pass it here." Harry instructed, holding out his left hand, keeping his right hand attached to his staff.

Ron did as he was told and handed the Sorting Hat over to Harry. The older Gryffindor brought it around to look at it and tried to see what it was he had seen glittering while concentrating on maintaining the barrier. Slowly, before his eyes, something began to glitter and shine inside the hat and Harry frowned slightly at the sight. He jerked the hat into the air and caught it again by thrusting his left hand inside of it, through the hole where the head should go. Oddly, inside, there was something hard, rough and cold. It was long and slim but thick enough for him to comfortably wrap his hand around. He did so and then flicked the hat so that it fell to the side as there was nothing to support it. What Harry found he now held caused him to give a small yelp of surprise and chuck it away from himself.

"Where the bloody Hell did that come from?" Ron gasped at the jewelled, silver sword which clattered to the floor, landing on top of the Sorting Hat where it had landed near the edge of the shield.

"Why, in the Great Lady's name, would someone hide a sword inside the Sorting Hat?" Harry muttered as he wiped his hand off against the side of his robe as though said sword had left something distasteful behind.

"Who cares, this is great! Now you can fight the basilisk." Ron told him excitedly.

"Do you not know the meaning of the word pacifist Ron? For a Priest to even touch a weapon of destruction like that is a punishable offence. Course, it would be different if I was a girl..." He trailed off, mumbling to himself.

"But it's trying to kill us!" Ron insisted heatedly.

"I'm sorry Ron but I can't do anything. Unless I'm on my own or everyone around me is completely defenceless, violence is not permitted. Physically, you're able to fight, that means I can't kill or even attack the basilisk. I'm sorry Ron." Harry told him sadly, understanding why the younger boy was looking at him in pure disbelief but refusing to break his Vow. Voldemort had done enough to him, he was not going to turn him into a killer too.

"Fine, you want me to fight, then I'll fight." Ron said angrily as he dashed forward, grabbing the sword when he passed it and leaving the safety of the barrier.

"Wait, Ron!" Harry cried, allowing the spell to fall finally with no small amount of relief.

Ron totally ignored him and ran straight past the basilisk and whether the boy knew he was teasing the monster with his scent or not was unknown. Harry watched in silent horror as Ron began to dash around the giant snake, swiping at it whenever it drew dangerously close to him. Each and every time the basilisk lunged at the red haired boy, Harry would gasp fearfully, both of his hands clutching his staff so tightly that his knuckles were white. Every time it was too close. Ron barely dodged the lunges in time and he was tiring. He wouldn't be able to do this for much longer. Harry was ready though. The second that Ron was no longer able to fight, he would. His Vow would no be applicable if Ron couldn't fight and he could then finish off what the younger boy had already done.

But, to Harry's great surprise, Ron did it; he killed the basilisk. The snake lunged at him and the silver sword had been driven through the roof of its mouth until it poked out the top of its head. Harry fought back a shout of delighted triumph as the Ron yanked his arm and the sword away and the basilisk was allowed to die, thrashing in the air widely before collapsing onto the ground with a massive crash which seemed to shake everything. Happiness bubbled inside of Harry and he turned to where Ron was making his way back over to him and Ginny. Upon seeing the boy come closer however, the happiness chilled into dread.

Ron did not look well. His shoulders were slumped, his face was pale, his breathing sounded a little ragged and there was a thin layer of sweat across his face. He looked fit to collapse and that couldn't be just because of the effort it had taken to kill the basilisk. And that was when green eyes landed on the boy's right arm which was still holding the bloodied sword. One of the fangs of the basilisk was embedded in his arm.

"Ron..." Harry gasped fearfully as the younger boy fell to his knees, and he only just managing to lurch forward in time to catch him. Ron's face was growing exceedingly paler and the sweat which had broken out along his brow was now more noticeable. Harry supported the boy's injured arm gently, careful not to jar the basilisk fang which was lodged in the wound. "Oh Ron..." He breathed sadly.

"Maybe I should've waited after all..." Ron managed to say ruefully.

"Oh Ron, you were so brave, you did wonderfully." Harry praised, holding back the tears which were threatening to fall.

"Sorry I didn't listen."

Harry shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat. "It doesn't matter. You did exactly what I couldn't do. You saved me, you saved Ginny." He suddenly noticed that Ron's eyes were shut now and he quickly brought his finger tips to his wrist to check for a pulse. It was still there, he still had time!

"Remarkable isn't it? How quickly the basilisk venom penetrates the body. I guess he has no more than a minute to live." Voldemort sighed, as though he was sad about the fact.

Harry paid him no mind as he gently removed the basilisk tooth, wincing at the blood which rose to the top of the wound and began to trickle out. He ignored the blood for that moment and raised his staff a little, tilting it so it was over Ron's limp body. "Elessa(2)." A small, green pool of light spread out from underneath Ron and stopped when it stretched from his feet to the top of his head. Orbs of light which were the same shade of green began to rise rapidly, taking only seconds to appear from the pool and to vanish somewhere above their heads. That lasted for five seconds before the light faded as though it had never been there. Harry could only pray that it had worked now.

"Was that really worth your effort Harry?" Voldemort inquired with a sneer. "You won't be able to save Ginny that way and as soon as she's gone, I'll be here, really here, and the first thing I will do is kill the insufferable twit you just saved."

"What!" Harry gasped in horror, looking up at the Slytherin with an angry glare as he held Ron's unconscious form closer to himself. "Why? He's a pure-blood, he's not..."

"It's not about his blood Harry, it's about you."

"Me?"

"You obviously care about him; far too much for my liking."

"You'll kill him because he's my friend?" Harry bit out, feeling the most angry he had ever.

"I'll kill him, because you care." Voldemort said gently, as though he speaking an endearment. "You're mine Harry, and to be mine means that you will care for me and only me," he knelt down in front of Harry and brought his hand up to the teenager's face as closely as possible. "Just as I care for you and only you."

Harry glared up at Voldemort with such a burning hatred that he had never experienced before. At that moment, it was only the knowledge that the boy before him couldn't be touched physically that was stopping the Gryffindor from attacking him. Vow of Pacifism be damned for a minute, there was nothing more he wanted to do at that moment than hit something or preferably someone. He released a harsh huff of frustration before remembering that he the basilisk's fang was resting on the floor just beside him. With nothing else to release his frustration on, he put down his staff and grabbed the tooth in a firm grip before raising it and then bringing it slamming back down, thinking he would simply hit the floor.

A strangled gasp came from in front of him and Harry looked up to see that the young Lord Voldemort was now slightly stooped over, clutching his stomach, his hands covering an area over his chest which had a crack in it, allowing light to shine through. The Gryffindor frowned in slight confusion before he looked down and began to understand. The tip of the fang had penetrated the pages of the diary and ink had spurted out in a rather sickly manner. Realisation brightened his eyes and a slow smile spread across his lips before turning into a smirk as his gaze flickered up to look Voldemort in the eye.

"Harry, don't!" The other teen warned him, holding a palm out in a sign of stop.

Harry simply cocked an eyebrow before plunging the tooth into the other side of the book which had not yet been pierced. Voldemort gave a wail of pain as a crack of shining light split the middle of his face. Harry squinted against the intensity of it before looking down and flipping the book shut and then slamming the fang through the front cover, getting it through quite a few pages underneath as well. Another scream from Tom as almost his entire body was taken up with light. And then, in the blink of an eye, the memory of the boy who had turned into Lord Voldemort had exploded in a burst of golden light, leaving nothing of himself behind.

A relieved pant rushed from Harry and he slumped his shoulders in relief. He glanced at the tooth and wrinkled his nose slightly before chucking it away from himself, sending it clattering off somewhere at the side. He leaned back on his now free hand and pulled his legs out from underneath him so he was sitting on the floor rather than kneeling. As he shifted, he noticed that the colour was returning to Ginny's skin. It wouldn't be long before she returned to the world of the living along with him and, hopefully, Ron. Speaking of which...

"That was bloody fantastic." A weak voice came from Harry's side. Green eyes immediately moved to the boy who was resting against him and Harry was delighted to see that Ron's eyes were, indeed, open.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked the younger boy gently, helping him up into a sitting position.

"My arm hurts enough for the rest of me." Ron answered and seeing as he stopped there, Harry assumed that was his only complaint.

"Well, at least there's something I can do about that." Harry smiled to him as he picked his staff up again and held it up and slightly over the red haired boy in his arm. "Fallan(3)." He breathed in a whisper, his eyes sliding shut in relaxed concentration. This time, it was a deep blue pool of light which spread out from underneath Ron and the orbs fell down from nowhere, settling all over the younger Gryffindor much to his distaste. "Don't fuss Ron." Harry ordered with a slight smile, his eyes still closed.

"But it's covered me and it feels weird." Ron complained.

"That just means it's working." Harry assured. "Look at your arm and see." He instructed and Ron did so, his eyes widening slightly as he did so. The wound created by the basilisk fang was closing up gradually as each orb of blue light landed on it, the glow fading into his skin and healing.

"Wicked." The boy breathed in awe as the injury healed completely, leaving behind no evidence that it had ever been there.

Harry released the spell, led by instinct, and the light disappeared. He opened his eyes and smiled down at Ron. "All better?"

"Yeah, thanks." Ron replied with a smile of his own before he suddenly seemed to notice the position that he and Harry were in. A bright blush covered his entire face and he pushed himself away quickly, over-balancing and toppling onto his back in the process. The older boy just watched him in amusement. "I, uh, sorry about that." The ginger haired boy mumbled when he had righted himself, looking away stubbornly.

"Nothing to apologise for." Harry assured him easily just as a small groan came over from where Ginny was laying. Both boys turned to look at her and saw that she had brought a hand up to rest on her forehead.

"Gin!" Ron gasped quickly, crawling to her quickly. "Are you all right?"

"I-I..." She said unsurely as she allowed herself to be eased up into a sitting position by her older brother. She noticed Harry an arm's length away from her and her eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Oh, I'm so sorry for everything. It was me," she confessed shakily. "It was all me doing it but I didn't want to, he made me do it, I couldn't stop it..."

"It's all right Ginny." Harry soothed the girl gently, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "We know what happened, we know everything. It wasn't your fault." The echoing call of Fawkes reached them then and they all tilted their heads in various directions to see where the bird, who was obviously now awake, was coming from. Ron was the first to spot him and then Harry soon after and then Ginny caught on right at the end just as the phoenix glided to a landing directly beside Harry. "We owe a big thank you to you Fawkes, we wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you."

The bird gave a small chirrup and Harry lifted a hand to gently run it over Fawkes' head a few times. "So what do we do now?" Ginny asked shyly as Harry continued to pet the phoenix.

"Now," Harry replied, finishing with his petting and getting up onto his feet with a bit of help from his staff. "We get out of here. There's nothing else for us to do and I don't want to hang around any longer than I have to."

Ron and Ginny took that as their cue to get up as well and Fawkes flapped his wings in order to fly/jump up onto Harry's shoulder for a ride. With another encouraging smile to the two younger Gryffindors, Harry held his free arm out, curling it behind Ginny, his fingertips just managing to touch Ron's shoulder as he was sticking close to his sister's side. He urged them forwards and, all of them together, headed away from the dead basilisk, back to where they would meet up with Potter again and leave the Chamber of Secrets behind them.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

30th May 1993: Early Morning

"Ginny?" Harry said gently as he and the rest of the united group made their way back to the entrance which would take them back into the girls' bathroom, Fawkes flying silently over their heads. The young Weasley girl looked up at him. "How did you get this?" He inquired, holding up the punctured, ink soaked diary.

A slight blush covered Ginny's cheeks and she looked away awkwardly. "You dropped it on that day in Diagon Alley. I kept it because I...I thought it was your diary." She admitted reluctantly.

That wasn't really surprising for Harry considering he had already figured out the girl had a slight crush on him and maybe if he did keep a diary he would have been more annoyed. As it was, he only smiled at her reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder, and said, "Don't worry about it."

"There's something I don't get." Ron spoke up suddenly, with a confused frown on his face. "That...You-Know-Who was only sixteen years old, right? So how did he know so much about you Harry? I mean, he didn't even attack you until 1987."

"That...That was my fault." Ginny admitted quietly. "He, Tom, kept asking about you after I told him who you were so I told him everything I knew. Then, when he wanted to know even more, I began to do some extra research. I guess, after he knew everything there was to know, he pieced it all together himself. I didn't know what I was doing though, it was like when he had me write the messages on the walls, I can't even remember most of what I told him!" She protested her innocence rather desperately.

"What sort of research was it you did?" Harry asked in nothing more than a kind, reassuring tone.

"I think I remember, vaguely, looking at newspaper articles about the first attack on you and..." She hesitated then and gulped lightly. "I...I think I contacted the Ministry, pretending to be Dad with some spells Tom taught me or at least mae me do, and looked at some of the more classified files about that day."

"Oh Merlin Gin!" Ron almost moaned. "Dad could get in really serious trouble for that!"

"No, no, it's all right, it'll be all right." Harry quickly assured upon seeing the girl's eyes fill with tears. "I'm sure that whatever happens, Professor Dumbledore will make sure that everything is thoroughly explained and it's made clear that this was no one's fault. The only important thing is that we're all safe and well." He paused then as he noticed that Potter was struggling to stop Lockhart wandering away from them as he seemed intent on exploring everything."Well, almost all of us anyway."

"He doesn't count." Ron grunted from where he was walking beside his little sister. "The only reason the prat's like it is because he tried to do it to you." He said to Harry.

"What will happen to him now?" Ginny inquired quietly as they all paused to allow the professor and Potter to catch up to them.

"He'll be sent to St. Mungo's most likely." Harry replied. "They might be able to break the spell and retrieve his memories. If not, he'll probably stay in the psychiatric department for safe-keeping until he has enough sense to lead his own life again."

"Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke." Ron muttered as they all started walking again now that Potter and Lockhart had caught up with them.

"How is it that I got stuck looking after the loon?" Potter demanded as he stomped along slightly behind Lockhart, occasionally shoving the older man forward to keep him moving.

"Because you've spent the most time with him while we were off saving Ginny." Harry replied, delighted that Potter was suffering the even more annoying man.

"You're the one who's into all that helping people crap though." The younger dark haired boy muttered.

"I am helping people." Harry told him easily, glancing at him over his shoulder. "I'm helping Ginny by enlightening her of Lockhart's fate."

"That's not helping, that's showing off." Potter grunted.

"No, showing off would be if I was spouting the information with no cause. This is just answering a question and being helpful." The older boy corrected just as they entered the small area in which they had originally entered, the one where the ground was littered with lots of little bones.

"Hey, do you hear something?" Ron asked curiously as he stepped up to the hole at the end of the tunnel they had all come out from at the very beginning.

They all stayed as silent as possible, Potter gripping Lockhart's arm tightly to stop the man from wandering around and cracking the bones beneath their feet. Very slowly, they all caught onto the sound. It was someone speaking, though they couldn't make out the words which were being spoken; no doubt they were too far away. The tone was rather frantic however and it faded away before coming closer and then faded away again, suggesting that whoever it was who was speaking was moving around, closer and then further away from the entrance into the Chamber.

"Who do you think it is?" Ginny asked somewhat fearfully.

"It can't be anything bad." Harry reassured her as he stepped right up to the hole, beside Ron. "After all, we solved the problem and got rid of Voldemort's..."

"Tom." Ginny interrupted him quietly.

"Pardon?" Harry asked with a light frown, turning his head to face the youngest Weasley.

"His name was Tom." The girl told him and although Harry wasn't sure why she had corrected him, he didn't pass comment.

"He's gone now." He said simply. "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore." With that said, he turned back to the tunnel above him. "Hello up there?" He called into it, his voice hopefully echoing all the way up.

"Who's down there?" That was definitely McGonagall's voice which replied.

"Professor McGonagall? It's Harry." The Gryffindor replied.

"Haryon? Goodness me, what in Merlin's name are doing down there?" The Scottish professor's reply came swiftly.

"We came down to save Ginny Weasley: me; Ron; Potter and Professor Lockhart." Harry explained, peering up into the seemingly never ending darkness which was the tunnel.

"Haryon?" That was Severus' voice.

"Father?"

"Are you all right?"

"Yes Father, I'm safe, we're all safe, Fawkes is down here with us, he'll fly us up." After that he turned to the rest of his companions and then tilted his head up to where Fawkes was perched on a sticking out bit of the wall. "Come here Fawkes, please." He requested, holding out his arm. The phoenix did as it was asked and glided down to them, landing on Harry's offered arm. "All right, Lockhart can hold onto Fawkes as he's probably strongest, Potter holds onto him, Ron holds onto Potter, I hold onto Ron and Ginny will hold onto me, right?"

"Why do I have to hold onto Lockhart?" Potter complained.

"Because I said you do." Harry answered simply as he walked over to Lockhart and gently led him over to the hole.

"I'm sick of listening to you..." Potter began to argue.

"Potter," Harry interrupted abruptly, turning to glare at the boy. "Who, out of the pair of us, has defeated Voldemort three times in the last five years?" He paused as though waiting for an answer. "I have." He answered himself after the silence. "Now, when you've managed to defeat Voldemort three time in five years, maybe then I'll listen to your complaints. As it is, they do nothing more than give me a headache so if you could kindly shut up, I'd very much appreciate it." Not letting enough time pass for Potter to give a decent come-back to that, Harry turned towards the Obliviated professor who was looking around himself curiously. "Professor Lockhart?" He said gently, resting his free hand on the man's arm.

"Oh, are you talking to me?" Lockhart asked curiously, alerted by Harry's hand on his arm.

"Yes I am Sir." Harry confirmed in a soothing voice, a voice one may have used around an animal they were expecting to freak out at the drop of a pin. "There's something you have to do so that we can leave this place. You see this bird here? Well, his name is Fawkes and he's going to fly us up this long tunnel here. All you have to do is hold onto his legs as tightly as possible; you don't need to worry about hurting him, he can take it. Now, do you think you can do that?"

"Are you sure that thing's going to be able to carry me? It looks awfully small." Lockhart mused as he looked Fawkes over curiously.

"I'm sure Professor. Now, if you'll just take hold of Fawkes' legs." Harry instructed as he turned around so that Fawkes was right in front of the tunnel they were about to fly up. The blonde man did as he was instructed and took hold of the phoenix's legs. "Alright Potter, grab on." The younger boy trudged forward while muttering under his breath and took hold of the end of Lockhart's robes. "Ron." Harry beckoned and Ron grabbed hold of his friend's arm. "Ginny, come here with me. I'll help Fawke's fly off and then I'll be grabbing onto Ron so you already need to be holding onto me.

Ginny wordlessly scuttled over to Harry, shyly allowing him to wrap an arm around her shoulders and wrapping her arms around his waist in return. After checking that everyone was holding onto everyone else firmly, Harry gave Fawkes the boost he needed to take off. The phoenix began to rise steadily, pulling the chain of people along after him. As the chain moved, Harry hurried around to Ron quickly and waited for the right moment. It was when Ron's feet left the floor, the first half of the people-line already having disappeared through the tunnel, that Harry grabbed on to one of his legs. Seconds later, he and Ginny were also leaving the dank Chamber behind, their feet leaving the ground slowly as they rose into the darkness above.

Gradually, as Lockhart gave them a running commentary of exclamations of surprise and wonder, faint light reached their eyes as they flew higher and higher, getting ever closer to the top. When they did reach the top, getting out and getting onto their feet was rather awkward as the ceiling wasn't high enough to allow Fawkes enough height in order to get Harry and Ginny hovering over the floor. So, what they had to resort to doing was the teachers helping the two Gryffindors on the end before the rest could touch down. Professor Sprout took care of Ginny, supporting the girl securely as she tentatively released Harry's waist. Once they were both out of the way, Severus stepped forward in order to perform a similar process on his son.

"Ha, told you I wasn't the Heir of Slytherin!" Harry grinned triumphantly as his father's arms came around him. Yes, okay, none of the professors had ever seriously thought he had been but he wanted to say it so someone and they were the only ones around.

Severus held Harry in more of an embrace than anything and when the man's arms were around him completely, Harry gladly wrapped his own arms around the man who usually showed no physical affection in public and gave him a small squeeze. "You went down there in your pyjamas?" Severus murmured in his ear gently and Harry could easily trace the faint amused note in his tone.

"I wasn't given much of a choice in the matter; Ron ambushed me straight out of the bathroom after having a shower." Harry explained with a small grin as he was settled onto his feet just as Ron, Potter and Lockhart also landed.

"This wasn't your idea then?" His father seemed surprised by that.

"I didn't even know what was going on until Ron brought me here where Lockhart and Potter were waiting for us." He answered, inclining his head to where Professor McGonagall was trying to sort out Professor Lockhart and Potter, Ron and Ginny were standing at the side watching in amusement. "He accidently Obliviated himself with Potter's broken wand, he doesn't have any idea what's going, where he is or even who he is." Harry explained in a normal tone for Professor McGonagall's, and the other three professor's, (Snape, Sprout and Flitwick) benefit.

"A shame really." Severus mused, both of his arms no longer around Harry but one had remained curled around the teenager's shoulders, his robe wrapped around Harry probably to prevent him getting chilly. "I would have had great pleasure in hearing him explain everything that had happened down there."

"You'll just have to put up with our versions." Harry said with a small, cheeky grin.

"After you've been checked out by Madam Pomfrey." Severus replied, turning them around so that they could leave the girls' bathroom. "You appear to be unscathed but I won't be able to concentrate on anything properly until I know for certain."

30th May 1993: Midday

Harry sighed tiredly as he plonked himself down on the sofa by the fire place in the Gryffindor common room. It hadn't been a bad fourteen hours or so really: he'd saved Ginny's life; he'd saved Ron's life; foiled Voldemort yet again; helped kill, (sort of) a basilisk; returned from the Chamber of Secrets completely unharmed; Dumbledore had returned that morning, (the majority of the signatures on the Vote of No Confidence had been forged or only signed through intimidation which got Lucius off the hook as his signature had been one of those which had been forged) and promptly awarded him, Ron and Potter awards for services to the school; an owl had been sent with release forms for Hagrid and, to top it all off, he'd been given the day off in order to rest. It was a nice way for everything to end up and it all served as a very important lesson for Harry as well; never doubt the Great Lady because she quite obviously always had a plan up her sleeve to make everything turn out for the best.

Merlin, he was tired though! Over twenty-four hours since he had last slept, plus all the activities he had been participating in when he should have been sleeping was starting to catch up on him. His limbs were heavy and his eyes wanted nothing more then to close and stay closed for a good few hours. He didn't want to take a nap or anything though because he knew for a fact he wouldn't be able to sleep that night if he did. Of course, when he was sitting in a very comfortable chair with nothing immediate to occupy his mind, what he wanted didn't really count for much as his body gave into its own demands and, very soon, he had drifted into a light doze.

"Harry?"

Harry's eyes instantly flew open at the sound of his name and his gaze quickly landed on the forms of Fred and George standing at the open portrait hole into the common room. "How comes you guys aren't at lunch?" He asked them curiously and slightly groggily, glancing at the grandfather clock at the side of the room and seeing it was near the beginning of lunch, just as he thought it was. Neither Fred or George answered him, instead dashing over to him and throwing themselves at him, the dark haired boy who only just managed to move his book out of the way in time. Two sets of arms wrapped around him tightly and two faces buried themselves against him. "Erm, guys?" He said unsurely.

"Thank you." Fred breathed against him.

"Thank you so much." George whispered.

"For what? Saving Ginny and Ron?" Harry asked, slightly confused by the twins' reactions. "It was nothing, really, I just did..."

"Don't you dare try and talk yourself out of this." Fred ordered, lifting his head, in as stern a voice as Harry had ever heard causing him to instantly stop talking in surprise. "They told us what happened..."

"...Everything that happened..." George added, also lifting his head.

"...You saved both of their lives..."

"...And for that we can never thank you enough."

Harry smiled at them shyly, not really knowing what to say. "Honestly, it wasn't anything special. I mean, anyone would've saved them, or at least tried, if they had been in that situation."

Both ginger haired boys frowned at him lightly. "You're not going to admit that what you did was amazing are you?" George grumbled. Harry only gave him a weak smile. "Fine, don't." George shrugged, settling back into hugging the dark haired boy.

"Doesn't matter, we know what you did even if you won't admit it." Fred contributed, copying his brother and snuggling down comfortably.

A bright blush flared across Harry's cheeks at the position and he fought the desire to squirm away from the shared embrace. He knew this was something the twins wanted, maybe even needed, and who was he to tell them to get off? It wasn't so bad, he had certainly been in worse situations. And it was near the beginning of lunch time so it was doubtful that anyone was going to walk in and see them all hugging together on the sofa...

"Oh, erm, sorry to interrupt..."

Harry was immediately off the sofa, out of Fred and George's arms when he heard that mumbled sentence from Oliver Wood as the Sixth Year walked through the portrait hole. That only seemed to amuse the other three boys and they all grinned at Harry much to his complete horror. "You weren't interrupting anything." The dark haired teenager muttered, folding his arms across his chest defensively.

"No, of course I wasn't." Oliver replied playfully as he walked further into the room, giving a wink to Fred and George as a sign that he was only teasing. "Sorry you two," he said to the twins. "But the object of your affections is about to be swept away by his third love interest." With that he turned back to the confused looking Harry. "Malfoy's outside, asks if you can go out and see him."

"For goodness sake, doesn't anyone eat lunch anymore?" Harry cried in frustration, throwing his hands up as he turned and made his way out of the common room, pointedly ignoring the fact that Oliver had referred to Draco as his third love interest. He stepped out of the portrait hole and immediately found Draco, leaning against the wall just to the right. "Hey." He greeted the blonde simply.

Draco's eyes instantly moved onto him and in a flash of movement, Harry had been yanked into the other boy's arms. "You have got to be the most idiotic, suicidal moron to ever set foot inside this castle." He seethed into the dark haired boy's ear. "It's ridiculous the stuff you put yourself through."

"Father told you what happened then?" Harry guessed, continuing to allow himself to be crushed in his best friend's arms.

"Yes, he did." Draco confirmed stiffly before pulling away and looking Harry straight in the eyes. "Merlin Harry, a bloody basilisk! What the bloody Hell were you thinking?"

"It wasn't until I got there that I knew what I'd be up against!" Harry protested his innocence. "And once I did know I could hardly have said that I wasn't going to go with them."

"Yes, you could've!" Draco insisted angrily.

"Draco, to let them go down there on their own would have been sentencing them to death. They had no chance of doing anything except get themselves killed!"

"And the odds of you coming back alive were any better?" Draco demanded harshly.

"Well obviously since here I am, very much solid and non-ghost-like." The Gryffindor pointed out, his tone softening as he realised that Draco wasn't just being stubborn. He was still scared for some reason. It was though seeing him standing there and having his hands holding his upper arms wasn't enough to assure the blonde that he was all right and completely unharmed, which was strange to say the least. "Draco," he murmured soothingly, moving closer to the blonde and, after freeing them, wrapping his arms around the Slytherin's neck. "I did what I had to do and now I'm back and I'm fine. You can see that. Nothing happened to me."

Draco's arms came back around him and held him tightly. "Merlin Harry, when I stayed behind after Potions to ask Sev why you weren't in lesson and he told me...The world just seemed to stop and everything went so cold. I thought he was going to tell me you were in the Infirmary, I thought he was going to tell me that it was like last year and you were unconscious..."

"Hey, hey, enough of that." Harry scolded lightly, seeing that Draco was just getting himself worked up over nothing which, again, was odd. "It isn't like last year as you can see. I'm completely fine, not even any cuts or scratches on me this time."

With that said, the two boys stood there in each others arms for a bit longer, neither speaking as there was nothing to say. Draco seemed to be soaking up Harry's presence as though it alone was some sort of comfort and Harry was more than willing to allow it as long as it helped the blonde and there was no one around to see. It was a peaceful, relaxing moment and Draco was positively limp in Harry's arms. However, it all changed when the blonde moved to bury his nose against the side of the dark haired boy's neck. The Slytherin suddenly tensed before pulling away quickly and giving Harry a hard look.

"Who's been near you?"

...Well that was a very weird question and for several moments Harry remained silent having no idea how he was supposed to answer. He searched Draco's expression for some hint of what the boy actually meant and he saw a mixture of what looked a bit like jealousy along with anger and also something else which Harry couldn't put a name to and couldn't remember ever seeing it on his best friend's face before. Also, once again, the usual grey eyes were now definitely more silvery in colour. "Erm, well, Fred and George were hugging me for a while as a thank you for saving Ron and Ginny. They're the only ones for the last few hours that have been really close." Merlin, he hoped that was the right thing to say.

"They're the only ones?" Draco checked carefully. Harry nodded. "And only to say thank you?" Again, Harry nodded. "They didn't have to hold onto you for so long though; their stink is all over you." He muttered as he pulled Harry back to him.

Okay, now that was the officially the strangest thing that Draco had ever said to him. He couldn't smell anything let alone a stink which smelt like Fred and/or George. What was it that Draco was smelling? Or perhaps there was something to smell there, it was just too faint for Harry to smell. Realisation widened Harry's eyes as he allowed himself to be held. Aunt Narcissa, rest her soul, was killed by Voldemort because she had at least a little Veela in her. Veela blood was genetic. What if Draco was coming into his Inheritance? That would explain the heightened sense of smell and probably the eye thing too. But that explanation also brought up a lot of questions. Harry wouldn't bring it up yet though, just in case he was wrong. He didn't want to stir up trouble un-necessarily. He'd look into it first, find some books on it or something. It wouldn't be the least bit surprising it that was what was going on with his best friend though.

1st June 1993: Evening

The Great Hall was alive with excited chatter as was the usual case at the Leaving Feast, everyone excited about the approaching summer holidays and discussing their plans for keeping in contact with each other. For the first time in a couple of weeks, the Head Table looked the way it was supposed to with Professor Dumbledore sitting in the middle, where he belonged and Hagrid was once again seated and present, having returned from Azkaban that afternoon. Yes, over all, everyone was in a good mood and Harry couldn't keep the small smile off of his face even as he listened to Fred and George eagerly discussing their up-coming family trip to Egypt which, if he was honest, wasn't particularly interesting.

"I wonder if they've got Zonko's over there." George mused, staring off into the distance as he prodded at his mashed potatoes.

"Doesn't matter if they do or not, we've been hoarding haven't we?" Fred reminded his brother. "We'll have plenty of ammunition to use of Percy and dear Ronnie-kins."

"Don't you think you should lay off Ron for a while?" Harry suggested. "I mean, considering everything's that happened over the past couple of days."

"Harry, Harry, Harry." George tutted playfully as he shook his head in time with his words.

"It's because of everything that's happened that he'll get worse than usual." Fred told him with a grin.

"It's a sign of affection." George added with a nod.

Harry raised an eyebrow at them. "And what's wrong with the usual hugs and 'I love yous' that most people settle for?"

"Any one can tell someone they love 'em..."

"...Or give a hug..."

"...But it takes a certain kind of someone to get Ron so angry..."

"...That his face turns that purpley-red colour."

"The fact we make the effort to do that..."

"...Shows that we care."

"In that case, why don't you torment Ginny like you do Ron and Percy?" Harry challenged them once they had finished their double-act.

"Because she doesn't get wound up half as easily as those two do."

"And the whole point of doing it is to get a reaction."

"I still don't think it's very nice." The dark haired boy said stubbornly.

"Are you telling us that you have never done anything to annoy Draco just to get a reaction out of him?" Fred asked sceptically.

"Nothing on the scale you two do!" He insisted, sounding scandalised at the suggestion.

"So we're a little more thorough." George shrugged.

"If you're gonna do something, do it right." Fred added with an odd sort of pride in his voice.

Harry shook his head at the twins' opinions and was just about to change the topic of conversation when he noticed some movement by the doors into the Great Hall caught his eye. He turned his head to look properly and a huge smile spread across his face when he saw that it was a happy, smiling Hermione looking as well as she always did. Upon Potter and Ron seeing her, she ran up to them, drawing the attention of the rest of the Great Hall.

The dark haired boy watched the reunion between then three younger students, glad that everything really had turned out all right. He was just about to go back to his meal when Hermione caught his eye. She gave him an enthusiastic wave before pulling away from where she was hugging Potter and dashing over to him. Bringing his legs over then bench, he got up onto his feet only seconds before the bushy haired girl threw herself at him. He managed to catch her without tipping over and a bright blush of embarrassment covered his cheeks as he awkwardly patted her back.

"I know what you did in the Chamber of Secrets." She told him, pulling back enough to look at him but not letting her arms drop which Harry sincerely wished she would what with everyone in the school watching them at that moment. "I'm just so glad you made it out all right. You could've died!" She went back to hugging him fully.

"Yeah, well, I didn't, I'm fine, we're all fine." Harry reassured her, still feeling rather awkward under the stares.

Finally, Hermione let him go and they sat down together, Ron and Potter coming up over to join with their friend. People stopped looking over at them and the level of chatter went back to what it had previously been before the Gryffindor girl had entered, leaving Harry to get rid of the blush staining his cheeks.

However, before he could even begin to try that, he felt an intense stare on his back. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Draco was glaring at him, looking positively murderous. Harry blinked at him in confusion a few times before mouthing "what" to him. Draco merely shook his head before looking away, turning to say something to Bethany Zabini who sat to his right. Confused, Harry turned back around and looked down at his plate as though it would give him all the answers in the world.

There was definitely something going on with Draco and Harry was determined to find out what it was before the new school year started.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

26th August 1993: Afternoon

Harry looked around himself curiously as he walked alongside Fred and George down a random Muggle street, on their way to the portkey which was arranged to take them back to the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasley's had returned from their trip to Egypt and, upon the insistance of the twins, were having a day out in Muggle London along with Harry who had been invited along. Harry had taken them up on the offer immediately, if only so he had something to do. His summer had been rather dull over-all. Draco had gone on holiday with some of his Slytherin friends half way through July. At the beginning, Harry had spent a lot of time with Severus and/or Lucius. However, there was only so much time that even he could spend with the men before he started to tire of their company. Besides, he got the feeling that the two men wanted some alone time together as well.

He wasn't as blind as his family seemed to think he was. It was painfully obvious that Severus and Lucius were more than what they appeared and shared more than just the platonic love of old friends. Harry wasn't completely sure it was true love or anything like that but there was little doubt in his mind that the men were intimate with each other, especially if the sounds he sometimes heard from his father's room on nights his godfather stayed over were anything to go by. Perhaps it was a release thing. To be honest, he tried not to think about it, it was mentally scarring to think of his father and godfather in such a way.

"Aren't Muggles weird?" Fred whispered suddenly as they wandered down the street after Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ginny and Ron who were with them. "Did you see that one that just went by holding his ear and talking to himself?"

"Wasn't he holding a grey brick to his ear and talking to that?" Harry noted, turning his head to look after the man in question.

"That's even weirder!" George gasped. "At least he could answer himself; what's a brick gonna say to him?"

"Maybe if you talked to one you would find out." Harry suggested, sounding completely serious. The twins stared at him in silence for a second before all three burst out laughing.

"Talk to a brick." Fred laughed, holding his aching stomach, sore from laughing.

"I'll talk to my mirror but not my brick." George managed to get out through his giggles.

A passing Muggle woman must have over heard them as she gave them all a very odd look. The three boys sobered and returned the look as she walked past them. When she was gone, they burst out laughing again. None of them even tried to speak after that as they were struggling to breathe through their laughter let alone manage to talk through it. However, for Harry, his laughter suddenly stopped rather abruptly as everything around him vanished into darkness once again.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A faceless woman wearing blue and white robes stood in profile against the darkness, a wand of some kind of dark wood held loosely in her left hand. Several feet away from her, the familiar figure of Voldemort faded into view. He wordlessly held out his hand towards the woman and the wand flew from her hand to his. Her part obviously done, the figure of the woman faded away.

Voldemort sneered evilly and held up the wand flat in his palm. It lifted to float in the air just above his hand. Slowly, a haze of red wafted out of Voldemort's parted lips and surrounded the stolen wand in a soft red glow for a few seconds before the glow seemed to seep into the wood, leaving it looking as though nothing had ever happened.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Reality returned to Harry in a rush and he was slightly surprised to find himself still standing with no one holding him up. He felt rather disorientated but not enough so that he wasn't painfully aware of the fact that he was suddenly alone. Several frantic glances around himself revealed that there was not a single head of ginger hair around him. He was alone, in a Muggle part of London...It would be so easy for him to freak out at that moment. No, he had to keep rational about this. Pros about this situation: he had a bit of Muggle money with him...And that was it. Okay, maybe freaking out a little would be justified.

With a sigh, Harry slumped against the wall of the closest shop to him. He dug into the pocket of his Muggle coat and fished out his money. Two five pound notes, half a dozen or so pound coins and a hand full of the smaller coins which were worth various numbers of pennies. That was a decent amount of money. Enough for a snack if he got hungry and the bus fare which was 70p; he had heard Mr Weasley mention it at one point. There was just one problem with that though; he had no idea where he needed to go.

After stuffing the money back into his coat, Harry gave a small groan and gripped the loose hair at the side of his head. He couldn't exactly just walk up to someone and ask them the way to the Leaky Cauldron; these were a bunch of Muggles after all. But, he could ask the way to a landmark and then make his way to the Leaky Cauldron from there. What landmark could he use? King's Cross Station of course. He knew the way back to the Leaky Cauldron from there. Yes, okay, so now he had a plan: ask for directions to King's Cross before getting the bus there. Simple but effective.

Harry pushed himself away from the wall before pausing when something in the shop window beside him caught his eye. In the panic about being left behind and not knowing where he was, he had failed to properly acknowledge his vision which had led to his being left behind. Now though, he remembered it very well, mostly because of what was in the shop window he now stood in front of.

A wand. It was definitely a wand in the window of the...Antique shop it looked like. And it was the same dark wood as the one that had been in his vision. Experience led Harry to assume that this wasn't just a coincidence. This was okay though. He could go inside the shop and ask for directions and casually inquire about the wand in the window, maybe ask how much it was being sold for as he got the feeling he wasn't supposed to ignore all this and just walk away without it.

So, with his plan firmly set in his mind, Harry turned slightly and stepped up to the door, pushing it open gently to go into the shop. The interior was rather homey actually, not what he was expecting at all. It was light and airy and smelt fresh and clean rather than of dust and mothballs which, if he was completely honest, was what he had been expecting. There was no dust anywhere which was quite an achievement as there were plenty of knickknacks lining every flat surface which practically begged for dust to come and settle on it. And the person watching over the shop wasn't what Harry expected either. Instead of it being someone old, maybe slightly senile, it was a male teenager, maybe his age or a bit older, with light, sandy brown hair sitting behind a counter at the back of the shop. He was reading a newspaper, or at least he had been, he'd looked up upon hearing Harry enter.

"Erm, hi." Harry greeted the boy somewhat shyly. "I've managed to get myself completely lost and I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to King's Cross Station?"

The boy remained silent and just stared at Harry with a curious expression on his face. It was actually rather unnerving. Harry shifted under the boy's gaze awkwardly and it was just when he was about to tell the boy that it didn't matter, the sandy brown haired boy spoke. "You're name wouldn't happen to be Haryon would it?" Harry gaped openly at the boy when he said that. "I'm going to assume from that intelligent response that yes, your name is Haryon. That being the case..." The boy paused as he moved around the counter and then headed over to the window. Once there, he reached forward and took the wand before turning to look at Harry again. "...I'm guessing this is what originally caught your attention."

Harry's eyes flickered from the boy's face to the wand and then back up to the boy again. "Who are you?" He asked suspiciously.

"Me? I'm no one." The boy shrugged. "My name's Patrick Lindsey, I'm sixteen years old and I work here sometimes to help my uncle." He paused once again as he stepped right up to Harry so that only half a foot of space separated them. "However, I did have a Great Grandpa who was a great man. He saw things before they happened and he saw the pasts of objects with just a single touch. Three years ago, a month before he died, my Great Grandpa told me that the summer I was sixteen, a boy around my age would come into this shop asking for directions to King's Cross Station. He would have long, dark haired tied back into a loose ponytail, the brightest green eyes anyone had ever seen and would answer to the name Haryon."

"He was a Seer?" Harry asked, choosing what he said carefully; after all, he didn't know whether this kid was a Muggle or Squib or whatever.

Another shrug from the boy. "I suppose you could call him that. To me, he was just my Great Grandpa. Anyways, it doesn't matter. What matters is I've played my part in Destiny's Great Plan so I don't have to sit in this tomb of a shop anymore. So, take your stick," he waggled it in Harry's direction. "And then I can close this place and go meet my friends." Harry took the wand from the boy and slid it up the sleeve of his coat and then turned to go. "Oh, and one more thing." The boy said, stopping Harry in his tracks and causing him to turn around and look at the boy again to see him holding out a folded piece of white paper to him. "Here's in-depth instructions on how to get where you want to go, not just King's Cross, but where you really want to go."

Harry hesitated a moment before moving to take the piece of paper. When he had it, he unfolded it and scanned the writing. Neither Diagon Alley or The Leaky Cauldron were written on the paper but that didn't necessarily mean they weren't directions to them. This old man who had foreseen all of this may have simply got the directions and not the name of the destination, especially if the man had been a Muggle like Harry suspected he was.

"Oh well, good luck in whatever you need that stick for." The brown haired boy said to Harry as he was ushered out of the shop quite rudely. "If the world ends abruptly or something, I'll know who to thank." He said as he locked the door to the shop once they were both outside. After pushing on it to make sure it was locked, the boy turned around, not even sparing Harry a final glance let alone a goodbye, before wandering off down the street.

Harry watched the boy go, slightly bewildered. That had all happened very fast to say the least. But at least things had turned out in his favour. He hadn't had to buy the wand or steal it which meant he had more money with him for possible emergencies. However, he was more than a little distracted now. That boy surely had to be a Muggle if only for the fact he kept calling what was clearly a wand, a stick. That meant that his great grandfather must have been a Muggle. How was it then that the man had foreseen all of this? And let's face it, it had to have been foreseen, there was too much detail in it for it all just to be coincidence. Did Muggles have some sort of form of divination too? Or did the man have magical leanings which just weren't strong enough to get him into Hogwarts or another magical school? Was that even possible?

With a light sigh, Harry realised he wasn't going to answer any of his self-asked questions and it was very unlikely he was ever going to get them answered. So, he put it out of his mind and instead concentrated on heading back home. He unfolded the piece of paper in his hands again and looked over the neat scrawl. It all seemed simple enough. Despite the fact he now had a wand with him and could call the Knight Bus, he felt safer in doing it the Muggle way. After all, he wasn't sure whose wand this had once been and using an unknown wand could be dangerous for a young wizard or witch.

Right, so the first step was to catch a bus. That was simple enough, he could catch a Muggle bus on his own. Now, if memory served him correctly, and he was pretty sure it did, he and the Weasley's had passed a bus stop about ten minutes away from where he was standing. So, it would probably be a good idea to go to that one first and see if the bus he needed passed by that stop. If it didn't...Well, he'd cross that bridge if he came to it.

"Excuse me?" A female voice said behind him as a finger tapped him on the shoulder. He craned his head around to see who it was and his jaw almost dropped off in shock.

"Marcia?" He gasped in surprise at the silver-blonde haired girl he hadn't seen in four years. She may have grown up a lot but it was still obviously her. Her hair was the same colour if not considerably longer, maybe just a little shorter than his own and everything else was the same as always too. Though curiously, her ears looked more like those of a human than of an elf.

"I knew it, it is you!" Marcia gasped happily as she practically threw herself into his arms. "Oh it's so good to see you Haryon! My, you've grown so much though I have to say you're not as tall as Rhys is."

"Believe me, I'm not as tall as anyone." Harry assured lightly, noting to himself that he was only a few inches taller than the girl in front of him. "Not that I'm not really glad to see you again, but what are you doing in Muggle London of all places? And what happened to your ears?"

"I've got a Glamour on them since I think most Muggles would stare at them. I'm here playing tourist with Rhys and his mother, she was the one who supplied the Glamour. Oh!" She gasped excitedly, grabbing Harry's hand. "You have to come see them...Unless of course you're already with some people." She said quietly, her sudden exuberance gone to be replaced with the bashfulness which Harry was used to from the girl.

"No, it's all right. I got separated from my friends several minutes back, was just going to make my way back to Diagon Alley." He told her causing her face to light up.

"Oh, the Great Lady must have so planned this out Haryon, that's where we were heading back to. Now you really have to come with us." She smiled and proceeded to lead him away in the opposite direction to which he had been originally planning. "So how's your summer been so far?" She inquired, linking her arm with his easily.

"Pretty dull really. Draco's staying with some of his Slytherin friends, as I told you about in my last letter, and my friends who I'm with today have only just got back from a holiday in Egypt, so." Harry answered, tailing off at the end.

"Well, if it cheers you up, mine hasn't been a wild ride either. Rhys' has, though only because he's been carted back and forth between his mother and father." Marcia sighed.

"How is he handling the divorce, really?" Harry asked, remembering the contents of the letter he had recieved several months ago.

"It was worse when it was first happening but I don't really think it even bothers him now. You know what Rhys is like; not one to complain or even feel too strongly about anything." She said with a very noticeable affection in her tone.

Harry sighed. "It's stuff like that which makes me wish I'd stayed with my Havanist education full-time. I miss all this stuff with both of you. I can't tell you how many times I thought about visiting you both when I found out about Rhys' parents. The time never came though."

"Well, I for one am glad that you chose to educate yourself in the Wizarding world." Marcia told him quietly, a sad quality entering her tone and expression. "With who you are and who wants you, you're better off learning how to defend yourself decently. I know that when you do...Go, you'll be in a much better place but...I can't help but want you to stay alive Haryon. Even though we really only write to each other now, I don't know what I'd do if you were suddenly...Gone."

Harry smiled slightly at that confession, reassured that his friend still cared for him so much. "I wouldn't worry if I were you Marcia, the Dark Lord possesses about as much threat to me as a high pollen count."

"Isn't that a little arrogant?" The girl asked carefully.

"Not when you know what I know, no." Harry told her with a slight grin before intentionally changing the subject. "Is that Rhys and his mother up there?" He queried, pointing to the not too far off bus stop.

"Yes, it is! Rhys!" Marcia called at the top of her voice causing Harry to wince slightly. The two people in question turned to look at them and even from their distance Harry saw the other boy's eyes widen slightly in surprise. "Look who I found all on his lonesome." She gushed excitedly as she hurried them forward, quickly reaching the Mage and stopping them just in front of him.

"Haryon?" Rhys said in slight awe, obviously completely surprised.

"It's good to see you again." Harry smiled, tilting his head back slightly in order to properly look at the young man. "Wow, you've really grown." He commented; the Mage was easily a foot taller than him.

"From my father's side of the family." Rhys replied nonchalantly before turning to the small, ebony haired woman standing beside him. "Mum, this is Haryon Snape." He introduced.

"Oh yes dear, I certainly know who he is." The woman all but gushed, stepping forward and shaking Harry's hand enthusiastically. "I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you Mr Snape."

"Erm, it's, uh, it's a pleasure to meet you too and please call me Harry." He told her with a weak smile.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly." Rhy's mother said with a blush and a giggle like some kind of school girl with a crush. Behind her, Rhys was shaking his head and looking thoroughly embarrassed while Marcia was watching it all with a slightly amused expression. "Tell me though, how is your father? I was in the Year above him when I went to Hogwarts you know. Never spoke to him of course, what with being in Hufflepuff and all..."

"Yes Mum, all right, that's enough." Rhys insisted as he moved forward to cut off the conversation, stepping in between her and Harry. It was as he did this that his loose, knee-length hair brushed away from his left ear revealing something which completely shocked Harry.

"You're engaged?" Harry gasped to his childhood friend upon recognising the customary pearl earring in the boy's left ear which Havanist males wore from the announcement of the engagement right up until they were married.

"Yes, isn't it wonderful?" Rhys' mother sighed as Rhys held back a cringe and Marcia looked suddenly panicked. "My little man's growing up and so is Marcia; she'll make a beautiful bride."

Harry's eyes widened and he turned to stare at Marcia who was blushing fairly vividly. "It isn't how you think it is." Rhys whispered to him quietly so that his mother wouldn't overhear no doubt. "It's merely going to be a marriage of convenience."

"Huh?"

"I have no desire to marry anyone but it is expected of me by my father's side of the family." Rhys explained patiently while Marcia stood to the side keeping his mother busy. "And the person who Marcia would wish to marry, she can't. So, we decided on this. It makes both of our families happy and she gets to continue her current relationship without guilt of hurting my feelings."

There were so many questions whirling around Harry's head due to this new information and it was merely the first one which forced its way to the front of his mind which popped out first: "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it was only decided on a couple of weeks ago and you know that tradition dictates that no one outside the immediate family know until at least a month after the agreement; it's bad luck." Rhys reasoned. "Course, my mum seems to have forgotten that bit considering she told you so enthusiastically."

Fair enough; second question: "Who is Marcia in love with?"

"A Muggle girl."

"Seriously? How did they meet?"

Rhys shrugged. "All Marcia's ever told me is that the Great Lady led them to each other."

"If that's the case then why can't they be together? All relationships are accepted..." Harry began.

"Yes, they should be." Rhys agreed with a small nod. "But what people say they believe and what they actually believe are two very different things. You of all people should know that Haryon." He reminded with a pointed look before sighing. "Her father demands she marries and produces an heir for him and her mother and he is less than enthusiastic about Muggles. And magic folk come to think of it. Actually, I think she only considers Elves to be intelligent, the rest of us are just ignorant monkeys. It's a surprise she's letting Marcia marry me considering Mum's a witch."

"Poor Marcia." Harry murmured sadly as he gazed over to where she was talking with Rhys' mother quite animatedly. Then, he returned his gaze to the boy beside him. "Wait a minute, you said you never want to get married. Isn't that a little extreme?"

"No. You know me Haryon, I dislike the company of most people. You and Marcia are the only ones I've ever managed to be around for prolonged periods of time without feeling the brain cells in my head dying off one by one. Can you really imagine me with a wife or a husband?" He paused and sighed. "I am not a people person and if I had my way, I wouldn't be getting married at all. As I have to though, I'd rather it be to someone who I know and like and who knows and likes me back."

"What about children?" Harry asked gently.

"We haven't really discussed that." Rhys revealed easily. "I should think that if Marcia really does want children, we'll figure out some artificial way of doing it rather than actually "doing the deed" so to speak."

"You'd really go that far to have to not do anything with her?"

"It's not that. Marcia's become a very beautiful girl as I'm sure you've noticed. But I'm forbidden from doing anything intimate with her; I took the Vow of Chastity when I turned thirteen." Rhys explained. "Marcia doesn't know by the way so don't say anything."

"You took the Vow of Chastity!" Harry gasped, completely surprised and slightly awed; it meant no sexual release for a period of fifteen years, after those years it could either be renewed or you could stay free of it. "Why?"

"I felt it was the direction in which the Great Lady was directing me." The Mage answered truthfully.

"Fifteen years of nothing though." The dark haired boy murmured.

Rhys shrugged. "I was thirteen; hadn't actually tried anything so it's not as though I have something to miss." Half way through his sentence, the bus they needed to get on slowed to stop in front of them. "Come on then." He said to Harry as he stood and moved over to where Marcia and his mum were standing at the doors waiting for them. Harry said nothing, silently standing and following them onto the red, double-decker bus.

26th August 1993: Evening

Riding a Muggle bus was an experience to say the least. It was nothing like the Knight Bus. There were no beds, just seats. They were actually quite cosy. A lot of stopping and starting though which started to make Harry feel a little travel sick after a while. But on the whole it had been fun and now he could say that he had, indeed, taken a ride on a Muggle bus. He wasn't sure if he'd ever do it again though, what with the travel sickness. Thankfully, it was all over now as they had reached the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Surprisingly however, they were greeted by Fred and George the moment they were off of the bus.

"Merlin Harry, there you are!" Fred gushed as he pulled the smaller boy into a tight hug completely ignoring Rhys and Marcia. While this happened, Rhys' mother headed into the inn, no doubt to put her feet up and rest.

"Way to disappear on us mate! Just when the portkey was activating." George grumbled as his twin released the dark haired boy and he quickly snatched him up into a hug.

"Tried to get them to wait but there wasn't time."

"And when someone went back to get you, you weren't there anymore."

"Sorry mate, but Mum insisted on calling your dad." Fred apologised.

"He's in there," George continued, releasing Harry and inclining his head to the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. "And he's more than a little worried as were we."

Harry gave them both a smile. "There was no reason for you to be worried. I was fine even before I met up with Marcia and Rhys." He stepped aside and gestured to the two teenagers of Elvish blood, neither one of them looking particularly impressed with Fred and George, something which was picked up on and returned by the Weasley twins. "Guys," Harry said to his childhood friends, oblivious to the tension which surrounded them. "This is Fred and George Weasley, I've told you about them in my letters."

"So this is Fred and George?" Rhys asked in a slightly sneering tone.

"We're so glad that Haryon has someone to keep him company during the school year." Marcia said to them with false sweetness.

"Yes, well we're so glad that he had someone to keep him company before he met us." Fred replied, picking up on the hidden meaning of the girl's previous words.

"Nice earring by the way." George snickered at Rhys' pearl earring.

"It's a symbol of my engagement, not a fashion statement." Rhys corrected him coolly.

"Just as well really." Fred replied in an equally cool tone.

"Pearls are a bit feminine after all." George continued in exactly the same way as his twin.

"Okay, I think that's enough for one day." Harry interrupted, finally catching onto the hostility between the two pairs. "We better get in. I need to see my father and I'm sure you all need to get back to your families." He spoke as he ushered the four other teenagers in before himself.

"So, how long have you two known Haryon now?" Marcia inquired as they entered, her tone still falsely polite.

"Oh, we've known Harry," Fred replied, emphasising Harry's name, "about five years now."

"Really? Only half the time that Rhys and I have known him then." She said innocently earning glares from both of the twins.

"Oh, I don't know, I don't really think it counts when half of that time you don't even see him and are mere letter writers and Valentines chocolate senders." George shot back, his patience clearly wearing thin and then infamous Weasley temper starting to crack through.

"At least we care enough to give him Valentines gifts." Rhys put in. "I wouldn't for a second expect that either of you get him anything."

"In all fairness Rhys, it's not really their tradition." Harry tried to defend.

"That hardly matters Haryon, if they had any common curtesy..." Rhys began to reply and George looked to rapidly losing his temper. Luckily, it was then that they entered the main area of the pub and found the rest of the Weasleys plus Severus and Lucius.

"Father, Uncle Lucius." Harry greeted them both with a smile, thankful that they had found adults and everyone would start to behave themselves now.

Severus scowled at him and stood quickly before stalking right up to his son. "You are the most stupid idiotic simpleton I have ever met." He growled fiercely causing all the teenagers in the room to wince at the harsh tone. "Do you ever think about anything before you act you reckless fool!"

Harry blinked a few times before speaking. "I'm sorry I worried you Father but there was really no need to panic. I knew what to expect and I knew how to get back here..."

"That's not why we were worried Haryon." Lucius told him gently as he stepped up to Severus' side, a rolled up piece of parchment in his left hand which he held out to Harry. "This is why we were concerned for you."

Harry's gaze flickered to the parchment before he studied his godfather's face. A moment later, he looked back to the parchment and gently took hold of it, pulling it from Lucius' loose grip. He unfurled it and looked and his jaw dropped at what he saw. A moving picture of Peter Pettigrew being restrained by two Aurors covered the centre. Above and below were words which chilled Harry's blood.

"Peter Pettigrew has escaped from Azkaban..." Harry whispered in disbelief as he continued to stare at the wanted poster. "But...How is that possible? I mean, it's Azkaban, no one can get out of that place!"

"A pointless observation when there is proof that it can be done." Severus sneered nastily before he turned and stalked away, leaving by the stairs across the room.

Harry watched his father leave to no doubt sulk before turning back to his godfather. "He's just a little stressed." Lucius assured him quietly so as not to be overheard, mistaking Harry's gaze for worry over Severus' behaviour. "Give him a little time to cool off and he'll no doubt apologise, you know he always does."

The dark haired teenager nodded slightly before speaking again. "Do they know how he did it?"

"He was found trying to dig a way out with a spoon he had stolen. When his cell was entered to confiscate it he overpowered the guard and used his wand to turn himself into his Animagus form." Lucius explained and Harry was instantly reminded of the dream he'd had that one night earlier that year. He had seen Pettigrew chipping away with that spoon in his cell in Azkaban!

"So he could be anywhere now?" Fred inquired, looking over Harry's shoulder at the poster.

"It is believed so, yes." Lucius answered stiffly, obviously uncomfortable with dealing with a Weasley so directly. "Haryon, I am going to check on your father. Do not leave this room without someone with you."

"Yes, Uncle Lucius." Harry agreed obediently despite the fact such an order seemed a little extreme. Now was not the time to discuss that though especially since he hadn't been planning on going out again. The blonde man gave him a small nod before turning and sweeping off in the direction Severus had previously gone. Everyone watched him go before turning to Harry once again.

"So there's a confirmed Death Eater out and about after you then?" George sighed lightly, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder.

"Do we know what his Animagus form is?" Fred inquired.

"A rat; I saw it in a crystal ball once when I was young." Harry answered without really thinking about what it was he was saying.

"You have visions Haryon?" Rhys gasped, surprised.

"Oh, didn't you know that?" George smirked before Harry even had a chance to answer.

"Guess we were the first people he told then." Fred mused in a far too innocent tone.

Harry could only groan mentally; this was not how he had pictured the first meeting between his two sets of friends being.

26th August 1993: Night

There was a lot that could be said about boredom. At times it could be frustrating but at other times it could be relaxing. It also provided a good opportunity for thinking which was what Harry had spent the last hour or so doing. He lay on his stomach on his bed, his bare feet resting on his pillow and his cheek settled on his duvet, his face turned so he was looking at his right hand which held the wand he had been given that afternoon in the antiques shop. His glasses had been removed when he had dressed in his pyjamas and lay on the bed beside his left leg. The bedroom window was open and a light breeze occasionally blew in, ruffling the ends of his loose hair. He'd been in his room since he had arrived home with Severus and Lucius, wanting to avoid the Potion Master's foul mood for as long as possible.

It had been a very tiring day and Harry could feel himself struggling to keep his eyes open in the position he was in. What with so much walking and the stress of arguing with his father and finding out that Peter Pettigrew was wandering around out there somewhere, he was completely exhausted. He could quite easily drift off to sleep and there was no real reason to not go to sleep considering it was dark outside and he'd be going to bed in an hour or two anyway. But he was busy thinking and it was for that he remained awake.

Pettigrew had escaped Azkaban. Did that mean anything for him? Was his father right to worry? Would Pettigrew come after him? Perhaps for revenge? That was the only reason he could think of why the man would want to seek him out. Not that there was a problem if he was sought out by the man. After all, he'd be back at Hogwarts in less than a week and if Voldemort wasn't able to get into Hogwarts, Pettigrew wasn't going to fair much better. No, out of everything that Harry had to worry about at that moment, Peter Pettigrew was a very minor thing.

What was playing on his mind the most was the reason he had managed to get separated from the Weasleys and what had happened after that. He'd had another vision, that much was obvious, but what he had seen confused him. He had seen the wand he currently held in his right hand in it but the significance of the faceless woman in blue and white and Voldemort's presence was totally lost on him. He may have well have seen a monkey and a poodle playing with the wand for all the sense it made to him anyway. And the red mist which had left Voldemort's mouth and was then absorbed into the wand was strange but slightly less confusing...

Half way through Harry's train of thought, he must have drifted off into a light doze because the next thing he was aware of was the thud of his window closing. His eyes shot open in an instant of hearing the sound and, as he was already facing the direction of the window, his gaze immediately came to rest on the mass of fuzzy black which he assumed was Severus.

"I didn't mean to wake you." The man said by way of apology when he noticed his son moving.

"Doesn't matter." Harry mumbled slightly groggily as he pushed himself up onto his elbows before bringing his legs underneath himself in order to kneel up straight. "Is there something you needed?" He asked completely sincerely, relaxed by the fact Severus' earlier foul temper seemed to have disappeared.

"Yes, to apologise to you." His father answered gently as he came to sit on the edge of Harry's bed. Harry watched him through one fuzzy eye as he rubbed the other to try and get rid of an itch he had. "I shouldn't have said the things I did."

Harry shrugged before shuffling himself up next to Severus and leaning against him comfortably. Almost instantly, the sour man's arm came around his son's back. "You were worried and stressed; I've known you long enough to know what that combination does to you." He assured with a slight grin.

"Indeed." Severus replied with just a hint of amusement in his tone. "You should not have wandered off though Haryon." He then scolded sternly, all previous traces of humour gone.

"I didn't wander off." Harry replied quietly, staring down at his bare feet on the floor which simply looked like two fuzzy pink lumps to him. "I saw something...And was left behind."

"What did you see?" His father asked him carefully, gently.

"The Dark Lord." Harry answered, ever conscious of the discomfort which using the man's real name caused for his father. Severus tensed against him but said nothing, obviously waiting for his son to continue of his own accord. "There was darkness and then there was a woman whose face I couldn't see. She held this wand." He murmured, holding out the wand to show the man beside him. "And then the Dark Lord appeared out of the darkness. The wand flew into his open hand and then the woman disappeared. He lifted the wand up and then a little red cloud, like how your breath is visible on a cold day, left the Dark Lord's mouth and was sucked into the wand. And then it all went and I was back on the street...And I was alone." He finished in a somewhat melancholy tone, feeling slightly saddened for some reason.

Severus arm tightened around him in a comforting way and the weight of the man's cheek came to rest on top of his head as a large hand began to stroke his hair soothingly. "Where did you get this wand Haryon?"

"An antiques shop." Harry mumbled his reply staring down at where his father's hand came to join his around the wand. "I went inside to ask for directions to King's Cross Station and the boy inside gave it to me. Said that his great grandfather had predicted that I'd come for it one day."

"I see." Severus murmured. They were both silent for several moments, the only movement coming from Severus' constantly moving hand in Harry's hair. Then, eventually, the man broke the silence and the stillness. "Haryon, I think it's best if I take this wand to Dumbledore." He said as he gently slipped the length of dark wood out of his son's loose hold.

"Everything's going to be all right isn't it Father?" Harry asked quietly, meaning more than just the situation with the wand.

"Everything will be fine Haryon." Severus assured him before pressing a kiss to the top of Harry's head and Harry believed him completely.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

1st September 1993: Midday

"Fifth year." George announced to his brother and Harry as they emerged onto Platform Nine and 3/4.

Fred and the dark haired boy both looked at him in confusion. "Yeah?" The second of the Weasley pair prompted, unsure of what his brother's point was.

""Well, it's a big step." George explained as they started to wheel their trolleys of luggage towards the train. On top of Harry's pile of luggage, next to Hedwig in her cage, sat a very cranky Elincia in her travelling cage as the Gryffindor was taking her to school for Draco as he had remained with another set of his Slytherin friends until the end of the summer and was travelling to the train station with them. "We have to start taking lessons seriously, we have to actually bother to revise for end of year exams, oooo! We might even be made prefects!"

"Us? Prefects?" Fred scoffed, obviously amused by that idea. "Harry might stand a chance but not us two, too many hours of detention served."

"Dumbledore actually wanted to make me a prefect." Harry told them quietly, his tone implying that it wasn't that simple.

"Oh yes!" George cried happily, completely missing the tone. "Friends of a prefect; spill over privileges where we come."

"But?" Fred asked gently, sensing the tone meant there was more to come.

"Father didn't think it was the best of ideas and, upon speaking to him, Dumbledore agrees." Harry explained, clearly struggling to keep his voice light. "Too much stress, what with everything else that's going on at the moment."

Both of the twins glanced at each other for a second before turning back to Harry. "No offence mate, but don't you think that..." Fred began.

"...That's a tad extreme?" George finished. "It is only Peter Pettigrew after all."

"I don't think it's just that." Harry offered slightly lamely. "I have my unexpected visions to deal with as well and then there are my extra lessons with High Priest Sephiran. Plus the work load is going to increase ten-fold this year..." He trailed off, fully aware that he was merely making excuses on behalf of the actions of his father. If he was completely honest, he wasn't sure why he couldn't be a prefect either and the explanation he got from Severus, the exact same one he had just spoken, seemed poor and created a very thin argument.

"Oh well, parents; what can you do?" George said with an easy shrug.

"Can't live with 'em yet you know you'd miss 'em more than anything if you gave into temptation and killed them." Fred agreed with his brother with a wise nod. Harry gave a small hum of agreement which was more than a little distracted due to what, or who, he had seen up ahead.

There, several feet away from them, was a very familiar family or, more importantly, a very familiar girl. Violet Potter. She had, quite rightly, grown a lot since he had last seen her several years ago, and she now wore glasses like her father and her two older brothers. Yes, because now Harry knew didn't he? He had a little sister and he had a chance to make friends with her before her other brother or her family poisoned her against him and his father. Was making friends with her a good idea though? It didn't really matter he supposed, he was going to do it anyway.

He and the twins passed the family as they headed towards the train in order to have their luggage put aboard and Harry strained his ears to try and catch what the family was talking about. Unfortunately, he failed miserably, but by the way that Lily Potter was fawning over her daughter and the flush on the woman's face, it was nothing more than a tearful goodbye. Harry kept his eyes on the family as his bags were taken from him, watching as the mother finally let Violet go and the girl and her older brother headed towards the entrance into the train. He wondered idly if Johnathan Potter would do the nice thing of sitting with his younger sister on her first train ride to Hogwarts.

As Harry, Fred and George passed Mr and Mrs Potter, the dark haired boy shot his birth parents a cold glare for no other reason than he could and they deserved a nasty look every day for the rest of their lives. Despite the fact that Harry was actually quite thankful he had been left behind, (who would want to be a Potter after all?) he couldn't help but wonder why it had been him they chose to leave. It wasn't as though they didn't want children as they had two now. So why had they not wanted him? As much as he hated himself for thinking it, he couldn't help but think that just maybe it was because he wasn't good enough for them. He really didn't want to think that because it in turn implied that he was offended by the fact he wasn't good enough for them. He didn't care whether he was good enough for them or not, the only thing he was concerned with was whether he was good enough for Severus, Lucius and Draco or not. Still, the thought stayed with him and he found himself saddened by it.

After having their luggage loaded onto, Harry climbed on board of the Hogwarts Express after the two Weasleys, casting one last glance at the Potters, before turning to face the inside of the carriage. And as he did so, the train started to move and to his left he saw Violet standing outside of a compartment, glaring up at her older brother who was obviously barring her way. "Hey guys, find us a compartment yeah?" He asked the twins gently as he moved his gaze onto them.

"Why, where are you going?" Fred inquired curiously.

"There's just something I want to check on." Harry assured them with a reassuring smile. The two ginger haired boys glanced around themselves in an attempt to see what it was which had intrigued their friends. Upon not seeing it though, the two boys nodded anyway and headed off in the opposite direction to where the two Potter children to do as asked.

Harry watched them go for a moment before he stepped closer to where his secret brother and sister were still glaring at each other by the entrance to the compartment they were in front of. As he drew closer, he was able to pick up on their conversation/argument. "...Sit with you!" Potter said in a nasty voice.

"Where else am I supposed to sit? Who am I supposed to sit with?" Violet asked angrily and Harry was proud of the fact she obviously wasn't backing down.

"Why don't you go and find Remus and sit with him?" Potter suggested.

"Uncle Remus won't want to sit with me; he's probably tired all things considered." The girl pointed out with a frown.

"You're not coming in here." Potter said stubbornly.

"Why not!" Violet demanded.

"Because I don't want to be stuck with you for the entire journey to Hogwarts. I want to sit with my friends and spend some time with them, not you who I've had to put up with all bloody summer."

"Don't swear, I'll tell Mum." Violet muttered to that.

"You see? That is why I don't want you sitting with us; you're such a little pest! Just go away Vi." Potter ordered and that was obviously the end of the discussion as he took a step backwards and slammed the compartment door shut right in front of the girl.

Violet stood there for several moment, spluttering angrily. She appeared to be thinking about reaching for the door but then seemingly changed her mind. A huffy sigh blew past her lips and she turned towards Harry, her eyes instantly meeting with the older boy's. A blush covered her cheeks and, although she appeared to be embarrassed, she didn't let her gaze fall.

"I'm guessing you remember me then?" Harry asked gently with a smile.

"You're mentioned in Teen Witch at least once every month, I'd be a bit brain dead if I didn't." Violet answered with a small laugh. "You've grown your hair." She noted shyly, her gaze finally dropping to her feet.

"Yeah, it's a religious thing." Harry replied with a smile of his own. His eyes flickered to the closed compartment door. "Trouble with the family?" He inquired gently.

"Oh, erm, nah, not really." She assured with a nervous laugh. "John was just being a prat, nothing new there."

"Well, if you're looking for a place to sit, you're more than welcome to join me and my friends. They've gone off to find somewhere to sit." Harry explained, gesturing behind himself.

"Oh, no, I couldn't impose on you like that..." Violet began to decline.

"You wouldn't be." He assured her in a friendly tone but making sure there was no doubt in his voice. That seemed to get the girl to seriously think about it and her gaze flicked up to Harry before they returned to her feet. "Please Violet? I'd really like it if you came and sat with us."

His little sister looked up at him properly at that. "Why?" She asked curiously, no suspicion evident thankfully.

"Because I'd like to get to know you." Harry answered her truthfully. He held his hand out to her in invitation. "So? Will you join us?"

Violet didn't even really seem to think about it before she was walking forward, towards him. She paused when she reached him and hesitated a moment before accepting his hand. Harry curled his long fingers around her smaller hand and gave her a dazzling smile which seemed to practically make her melt. She beamed up at him enthusiastically, obviously reassured by his friendly nature and together they headed off down the slim corridor, on the way to find where Fred and George had secured their compartment.

After peering into several compartments through the windows in the doors with no luck, they finally found who they were looking for. Fred and George were sitting side by side on one side of the compartment while there was a man almost completely covered by his coat slouched against the corner on the other side. Harry opened the door quietly so that it was the movement which alerted the twins to his entrance.

"Do what needed to be done then?" Fred inquired easily.

"Yep. Guys, this is Violet Potter. Violet, this is Fred and George Weasley." He introduced them all as he moved further into the compartment, making sure that his sister followed in behind him.

"Hi." She greeted the two ginger haired boys slightly shyly.

"Another Potter." George said with slightly raised eyebrows.

"Nothing like her brother from what I've seen." Harry assured them as he seated himself next to where Violet had sat down next to the apparently sleeping man. He turned to look at her after that comment. "We're hardly fans of him."

"He can be horrible can't he?" Violet agreed, turning to look at Fred and George halfway through her sentence. "I'm glad you invited me to sit with you all, I didn't really want to sit with him anyway."

"Ah well, anyone who dislikes Potter is a friend of ours." Fred told her playfully, effectively ending all fears of rejection in both Violet and Harry.

"Hey, who's that?" Harry inquired quietly, inclining his head to the still man in the corner.

"We dunno." Fred shrugged.

"He was already in here and everywhere else was full." George explained.

"Professor R J Lupin, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." Violet told them earning her three looks of surprise. "He's my godfather." She added hastily, understanding the reason for their odd looks.

"So he'll be the new DADA professor." George mused, trying to angle himself in a position to see the man's face or something.

"Well, I doubt he'll be any worse than the previous two." Fred told them all. "Doubtful that he'll try and kill or Obliviate you Harry."

"Oh, I read about that in the paper!" Violet gushed excitedly. "Weren't you completely terrified Harry?"

A light blush covered Harry's cheeks and he looked away. "Oh, well, in that kind of situation you, er, you really don't have enough time to be afraid or anything. You just do what you have to do and, uh, try not to get distracted by fear or anything."

"Wow..." The girl breathed, sounding completely impressed, which only made Harry blush more and the twins to grin at each other knowingly. Before anything more embarrassing could happen, the train jolted to a sudden stop and all the lights went out abruptly, plunging them all into a semi-darkness.

"What's happened?" Fred wondered, glancing around himself.

"We can't be there yet." George added as he leaned into the window beside him, trying to peer outside into the darkness. He watched as a thin layer of frost spread across the glass eerily before slowly pulling back and giving the other three occupants of the compartment a questioning look. "Is it me, or is it definitely getting colder in here?"

"No, you're right, it is." Harry agreed.

"I can see my breath." Violet noted before giving a puff in demonstration.

With a light frown, Harry stood and opened the compartment door before he poked his head out to see if there was any sign of what was going on. First, he looked to the left and saw nothing. Then, he looked to his right just in time to see the beginnings of a wispy black cloak to float down the slim corridor. Harry's eyes widened in horror and he backed away quickly, slamming the door shut.

"Harry?" Fred asked carefully, watching his friend with a worried gaze.

"It was one of those things! One of those black things!" Harry gasped, jabbing his index finger at the door accusingly. "From the time I saw Pettigrew in Azkaban!"

"Are you sure?" Fred checked urgently.

"Why would one be here?" George wondered, sounding a little frantic.

"Oh my..." Violet gasped, scooting back on the seat she was on. "Harry..." She said quietly, staring behind him with wide eyes, one hand covering her gaping mouth.

Harry turned around to see a very close up view of one of the creatures outside, only the glass panel in the compartment's door separating them. His hand was grabbed by George and he was yanked back, away from the door despite the fact that put very little space between the dark haired boy and the door still. All four students watched with no small amount of terror as a bony hand reached out to the door and as the fingers curled, the door slid open, much like as Harry had seen earlier that year in his dream of Azkaban. They all tried to back away from it, pressing themselves against the walls around them.

The heart-aching sadness affected them all immediately but for Harry it went a step further. It felt as though something was actually being sucked out of him. Everything was so horribly cold and it was as if he was suddenly alone. He forgot the fact that he was actually in a compartment with four other people, two of which were close friends and another who was his little sister. Desperate loneliness gripped him as the loud crying of a baby filled his ears. Then, luckily or unluckily, everything, even the loneliness, began to fade away into dark dizziness. His eyes drooped and his legs buckled beneath him, sending him crashing down to the compartment floor. He didn't feel the arms which came around him to steady him, he didn't hear the fearful calls of his name, he didn't hear the rapid shifting of material as someone stood and he didn't see the bright silver light which chased the creature away. All of it was lost on him as he seemed to float in a sea of painful solidarity.

But then there was a sweet scent, a familiar scent which never failed to catch his attention, and reality started to seep back to him. Light appeared again, he felt the pressure of the arms which held him securely and he saw the small piece of what smelt like chocolate just in front of him. Slowly, carefully, Harry lifted his head and looked around himself in confusion. He couldn't remember falling to his knees and so was rather surprised to find that he was kneeling. It was George who was supporting him, Fred looking ready to join him if he was needed. Both of them plus Violet were looking at him anxiously. And then there was another person, someone Harry didn't recognise. A man. And it was the man who was offering the chocolate.

"Here, eat it, it will make you feel better." The man told him kindly.

Harry raised his hand to accept the sweet and was surprised to find that his hand was shaking. He took the chocolate carefully and brought it to his mouth to take a tiny bite. Once that had been done, he looked towards the still open compartment door tentatively as though the monster would still be there waiting for him. "What was that thing?" He asked nervously.

"It was a Dementor, one of the guardians of Azkaban; it was on the train searching for Peter Pettigrew." The man explained with a gentle tone. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to have a little word with the driver." He told them all as he got up and stepped through the door before turning and looking to the only female occupant of the compartment. "Will you be all right here Violet?"

The girl nodded. "I'll be fine Uncle Remus."

The man, Remus apparently, gave them all one last smile before closing the door and walking off, quickly leaving their sight. Harry kept his eyes on the door as he took another tiny bite of chocolate. Then, he pulled himself up onto the seat the new professor had just vacated and turned to look at Fred and George. "What, exactly, happened?"

"Well, you sort of went really limp..." Fred answered.

"...We thought for a second you were having one of your visions..." George added.

"...But then we noticed that your eyes were shut rather than open and empty as they usually are..."

"...So that threw that idea out of the window."

"Uncle Remus woke up when I called your name." Violet jumped in then. "He cast a spell to chase the Dementor away."

"I see...And, did any of you...?" Harry left the question hanging.

Fred shook his head as George answered verbally. "No, but I felt terrible, like I'd never be cheerful again." Fred nodded his head to that.

"And..." Harry hesitated, already suspecting the answer to the question he was about to ask. "And did any of you hear a baby crying?"

The other three occupants of the compartment shook their heads, Violet looking a little more bewildered than either Fred or George. Harry released a long sigh and slumped back tiredly against his seat. The twins gazed at him with sad sympathy and Violet seemed torn on what to do before she obviously gathered enough courage to reach over and rest her right hand on Harry's upper arm. That gave Harry enough strength to give them all a weak smile as some form of reassurance.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence.

1st September 1993: Evening

It was a conscious effort for Harry that he didn't shout and jump and cheer when Violet got into Gryffindor. He now knew how it felt to be a proud, older brother and it made him feel warm and happy. Much to his delight, the youngest Potter gave him a shy smile and a slight wave when she sat down with the other new First Years, much to the distaste of her other older brother apparently. His mood had only continued to cheer as Professor Lupin had been introduced and then Hagrid had been introduced as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor. That alone made Harry glad that he had chosen to continue with the subject.

Then, that happiness had faded upon hearing that the Dementors were going to be hanging around all year, continuing their search for Peter Pettigrew. They had all been assured that they would be fine as long as they kept out of the creatures' way but Harry wasn't so confident. After all, one had already attacked him without reason, who was to say that it couldn't happen again?

Now, the Sorting Feast was over and everyone was slowly leaving the Great Hall. Harry, Fred and George were still seated, doing the usual thing of waiting until the initial rush had passed before they even attempted to leave. They sat in a comfortable silence, none feeling the need to say anything, so when they were approached by Hermione, she wasn't interrupting anything.

"Harry!" She greeted the dark haired boy enthusiastically as she hurried up to them.

"Hey Hermione." Harry returned the greeting, accepting the hug she leaned down to give him as he was still sitting.

"Fred, George." She greeted the twins as she pulled away from the dark haired boys arms.

"Granger." They answered together, giving her identical polite nods.

"Did you have a good summer Hermione?" Harry inquired curiously.

"It wasn't bad." She said with a small shrug. "Yours?"

"Pretty dull right up until the end." He told her with a small amount of humour in his tone.

"Oh yes, that." Hermione agreed easily but with a small frown. "How do you feel about it? Are you all right?"

"I've dealt with worse than a wandless Peter Pettigrew, you know that." He assured her with a playful grin.

"Yes, I suppose you have." She mused and Harry got the distinct feeling that there was something else she wanted to say but was intentionally holding it back, no doubt because Fred and George were sitting right there and, even though they were talking to each other, there was still a chance that they would over hear.

"Harry?" A small voice came from behind him then. The dark haired boy turned around to see Violet was standing just behind and to the side of him, looking a little shy. "Aren't you supposed to be coming to the Gryffindor Tower now too?" She asked quietly.

"We're just waiting for the rush to pass." Harry reassured her before remembering Hermione who was looking at the girl akin to something like horror. "Erm, Violet, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Violet Potter." He introduced them with forced ease.

"Nice to meet you." Violet smiled up at the older girl.

"Erm, yes, yes it's nice to meet you too." Hermione managed to get out.

"You better hurry up Violet or else you'll be left behind." Harry warned. "Just go over there," he pointed to where the new First Years were gathering around one of the new prefects. "You'll be taken to your dorm room and given time to settle in."

"All right." Violet said with a nod as she allowed herself to be ushered forward by Harry. "I'll see you later yeah?" She checked, sounding somewhat anxious.

"Of course." Harry reassured her with a smile. She smiled back to him before dashing off after the First Years.

"Add another name to the list of Harry-admirers George." Fred teased then as he and George stood up.

"She'll keep Ginny company; she was the only Gryffindor before." George mused, his tone filled with mock severity.

Harry gave them both a small frown which only made them laugh. "We'll see you in the dorm, mate." Fred told him with a playful nudge.

"What?" Harry asked, confused as to why he was apparently being left behind.

"Both your dad and Malfoy haven't left and are looking over here rather intently." George pointed out and Harry looked around the Great Hall to see it was true.

"See ya Harry." Fred said once more as he and George headed out of the hall.

A small sigh escaped Harry as he looked at his father and then at Draco. After a few seconds, he realised Hermione was still standing there. He gave her a questioning look but said nothing. "Are you sure making friends with John's sister, your sister, is really the best of ideas?" She asked delicately, obviously reluctant to upset him but feeling that something had to be said.

"Whether it's a good idea or not, it's happened and I can hardly go back on it now, can I?" Harry replied before giving her a weak smile after glancing over her shoulder. "Ron and Potter and waiting for you." He told her.

She glanced over her shoulder to see that it was true before looking back to the older boy in front of her. "Are you going to be all right?"

It occurred to Harry that asking if he was all right seemed to be a force of habit for the girl. "I'll be fine Hermione, I always am." He said with a slightly forced grin. "I'll talk to you later." Hermione nodded wordlessly before turning and heading off over to her two friends by the entrance. Harry watched her go for a second before his attention was grabbed by Draco as he rushed over to him.

"Hi Draco." The dark haired boy greeted the blonde, aware of Severus approaching from the side.

"Merlin, I've missed you." Was Draco's greeting and the blonde practically threw himself into Harry's arms. Harry wrapped his arms around him and gave him a squeeze before settling them around him loosely. "Two months is too long. Never again." He murmured against Harry's neck.

"We did write to each other." Harry pointed out though in his mind he was beginning to add this strange greeting to the list of evidence. He hadn't had the opportunity to find out anything about Draco's odd behaviour over the summer, mostly due to lack of suitable books. Now he was back at school, he was going to get down to it and find out what was going on with the blonde.

"Not enough." Draco mumbled, sounding like half drunk. "Have to be near you, have to be able to touch you."

Harry patted his shoulder comfortingly, ideas and theories swirling around his head all the while. Then, the dark form or Severus in his dramatic teaching robes stepped up to their side. The dark haired teenager glanced up at him and noticed that, for some reason, he did not look happy. It would probably be wise to give him his full attention sooner rather than later then.

"Draco?" He said quietly. "Draco, you've got prefect duty don't you? You have to let go and help the others." Draco made no move to let go. "You'll see me again in the morning." Harry assured him. Still Draco didn't move.

"For goodness sake Draco, let him go." Severus ordered in a sharp tone which caused Harry to wince despite the fact the angry voice wasn't even directed at him.

It was more of the wince rather than what Severus said that had Draco looking up sharply, glaring daggers at his godfather. "I'm sorry Severus, but I do believe I missed the part that made this any your business." He practically growled to the Potions Master.

Harry's jaw literally dropped upon hearing that and he gaped openly at the blonde who still had his arms around him. Severus' eyes narrowed dangerously and it was obvious the on-coming explosion was not going to pretty nor could it be stopped. It could, however, be delayed and that was what Harry was going to do. The two Slytherins could rip out each others throats later on, when he wasn't around preferably.

"Draco." Harry said firmly, moving out of the blonde's arms and stepping in between him and his father. Luckily, or predictably, Draco instantly turned his full attention onto the dark haired boy, his glare softening but not disappearing completely. "I have to talk to Father and you have to go and do your prefect duties. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? We'll see each other first thing, at breakfast."

The blonde Slytherin said nothing and for a brief second, his hard silver eyes flickered over Harry's shoulder to look at Severus who looked positively poisonous. He gave a small sneer at the older man before turning and stalking away without further incident. The dark haired boy breathed a heavy sigh of relief, content with the fact he had diverted the yelling match for at least a while. He turned to his father then and gave him a weak smile only to have the man's glare not ease in the least. That made Harry nervous. "Have I done something?" He asked anxiously.

Severus seemed to make an effort to soften his expression at that timid question and although he looked in no way friendly, he didn't look as though he was about to start yelling at the drop of the hat. "Not exactly." He answered his son's question. "Lupin just told me what happened on the train coming."

"Ah." Harry said awkwardly.

"Indeed." His father replied, sounding mildly amused this time.

"You want to have a long talk about this, don't you?" The dark haired boy asked with a slight wrinkling of his nose.

Severus inclined his head. "Which is why you'll be coming down to the dungeons with me now. I have to greet the new First Years but after that we will discuss what happened fully."

Harry sighed and nodded his head but said nothing. He linked his arm with his father, mostly out of force of habit, and together they headed towards the open doors of the Great Hall and the dungeons.

4th September 1993: Night

It was one of those rare occasions that the Gryffindor common room was calm and sedate. Very few people occupied it at that moment, only four to be precise, and they were all silent, each doing their own thing. One of the people present was Harry, sitting in one of the comfy armchairs by the fire with his first essay of the new school year resting on his knees. He had been ejected from his dorm room on demand of Fred and George who were, once again, doing something in there that he wasn't allowed to know about. He would've been offended if it wasn't for the fact that he had so many of his own secrets which he hid from his two friends. By his side, another of the four people in the room, who was sitting on the floor beside his chair, was Violet who was simply reading one of her text books rather than doing an assignment.

The new school year had started out well in all aspects, but especially in the area of Harry's friendship with his secret younger sister. Violet seemed to have taken to him instantly and, with her wonderfully trusting nature, hadn't stopped to wonder why a Fifth Year boy was so eager to befriend a First Year girl. Harry had been a little concerned during the first few days that Violet wasn't making any other friends her own age in sacrifice for spending time with him but that had been put the rest the day before when his sister had introduced him to a couple of First Year girls she had made friends with. Yes, over-all, things with Violet were going splendidly and on several occasions, such as that very moment, he was her unofficial tutor in all subjects.

"Harry?" Violet spoke sudden in a hushed tone, obviously aware of the intense quiet around them.

"Mmhmm?" He hummed as he scrawled down the last few words of his sentence.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Depends on what subject it's on. Despite what you and most other people think, I'm not an expert in everything." Harry said quietly with a playful grin.

"Uh, well, it's not actually about school this time." She told him somewhat awkwardly.

That made Harry pay a little more attention to her. "Oh? Then what is it about?"

"I was just...Well...I was just wondering...If you had any idea about..." Violet stammered nervously. "Why doesn't my dad or Sirius like you and your family?" She asked in a rush, having finally sorted her thoughts out.

Harry placed his quill down, sensing that this wasn't going to be settled with a quick explanation. "Well, none of them liked each other when they were in school together and your family didn't agree with some of the opinions my family used to believe in."

"But that's all in the past." Violet pointed out quite rightly. "Why do they still hate each other?"

The older boy remained quiet has he considered his answer carefully. After a short period of time, he answered: "Because, in some ways, letting go of hate and rivalry is the hardest thing anyone can ever do." And the fact that all of them refused to grow up and get over it, but Harry kept that bit to himself.

"What about John then? He doesn't have reason to hate you but he still talks about you like you're, well, his worst enemy." She told him, sounding rather embarrassed.

"I think your brother dislikes me because he feels it's what his father and the rest of your family wants or at least expects." He paused and looked to the younger girl. "I wouldn't be wrong in assuming that his behaviour towards me is encouraged and praised by your dad and Black, would I?"

"No, I suppose you wouldn't." Violet murmured, somewhat thoughtfully and forlornly.

"Violet, we can't change the way our families act or think. However, we can choose whether we agree with them or not. I dislike your brother because he's an arrogant twit, not because of who his father is. I don't doubt that my father would agree with me, but it's more than a little likely that his original dislike of him would have been largely because of his dislike for James Potter. I chose not to dislike your brother because of what I had experienced with him, not because of ideas based on a history which isn't his. I only wish I could say the same for my father." Harry sighed.

"Do you think your dad will be as harsh on me as he is John?" She asked tentatively.

"It's a definite possibility unfortunately. Don't worry though, if he says anything unjustified to you, I'll have a word with him." Harry reassured her with his usual kind smile.

Violet blushed at the smile and looked away shyly. "Thanks Harry, not just for that but for being my friend too."

Harry couldn't stop the huge smile which lit his face then and he quickly bowed his head to try and hide it, just in case the girl beside him decided to look back up at him. "You're very welcome Violet." He told her, trying to keep his tone as natural as possible. "Very welcome indeed."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

9th September 1993: Morning

Harry watched the jolting wardrobe which stood at the front of the class, everyone standing and facing it. Everyone present had a pretty good idea what it was, they had covered the theory of it in Third Year after all. But now, they were actually going to get some practical experience and the dark haired Gryffindor couldn't wait to get started. He stood eagerly at the front, Fred and George on his right and Draco standing next to him on his left.

Somewhat worryingly, Draco had distanced himself from his fellow Slytherins quite a lot this year. In classes, he sat with Harry and Fred and George, he was rarely present at lunch times and at dinner times he kept to himself. Weekends and all his other free time which wasn't taken up with Quidditch practice or prefect duties seemed to be spent with the dark haired Gryffindor as well. Harry had asked the blonde about his behaviour, asking if something had happened or if anything was wrong. The only reply he ever got was that Draco didn't think they spent enough time together and the blonde was merely fixing that. It was a strange reason and was only added to Harry's rapidly growing list of oddities that his best friend now possessed which needed to be researched which he was adamant he would start soon.

At that present moment in class, Professor Lupin was just doing a bit of revision with them, reminding them all quickly about the basics of what was at that moment locked in the wardrobe. Although he had only had one other lesson prior to the one he was having now, Harry had already decided that Professor Lupin was an excellent teacher. He was warm and friendly and encouraging and seemed to have a love of more practical learning, hence the presence of an actual, real life boggart instead of sitting them down and teaching them the theory. Though it did occur to Harry that maybe Professor Quirrel didn't bring in a real boggart for them to look at in an attempt to hide what he was actually afraid of. He could just picture the shape the boggart might take if it had been to stand in front of Quirrel.

And that brought him to a round-about turn to the subject of his own fear just as the boggart was released and the first student stepped up to face it. What was his fear going to be? There were two main theories in his mind. Either his father dying/leaving him or Voldemort. Personally, his money was on the former. If he was completely honest, Voldemort didn't scare him that much. The man didn't seem to want to kill him after all and never even tried to hurt him, not really. But he supposed there was the possibility that there was some sort of subconscious fear somewhere deep inside of him, one he wasn't even fully aware of.

As George, who had gone up third after his brother, walked away, finished with the boggart, Harry stepped forward, still mostly lost in thought. He really didn't think he'd see Voldemort. No, he definitely thought he'd see his family dead or walking away from him or something along those lines. After all, he had the whole abandonment-complex thing and how he felt when he was left alone...

And then it hit him, right then; the evening on the train and that vision he'd had earlier that year, both with the Dementors. His eyes widened noticeably when the boggart in front of him morphed into one of the floating, cloaked figures. He froze, his mind went blank and he took a step backwards. Despite the fact he didn't want the creature anywhere near him for fear of the things it would make him feel, Harry couldn't quite get his mouth or arm to work in order to cast the charm needed. All he could do was stare at the terrible monster as it came closer to him.

Suddenly, Harry's view of the Dementor was cut off to be replaced with an up-close view of the dark material of the loose teaching robe which Professor Lupin wore over his Muggle suit. Everyone, not just Harry, watched in surprise as the professor protected the dark haired Gryffindor. Under all their gazes, the boggart shifted to resemble what looked a bit like a crystal ball and, with the speaking of the charm, a huge crack appeared right in the middle of it before it fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Quickly, Professor Lupin lifted it with a spell and locked it back into the old wardrobe.

The whole time, Harry just stood rooted to the spot, his thoughts and emotions still in disarray.

He was vaguely aware of Professor Lupin dismissing them all early and he just about felt someone lightly pulling on his shoulder in a silent order to turn and walk away. Harry obeyed stiffly, not in the least surprised that it was Draco behind him. The blonde's arm came around his shoulders as he turned and, together with Fred and George, they silently left the DADA classroom.

10th September 1993: Midday

People worried too much and they worried over the stupidest of things. Hermione worried about her grades, Violet worried about her parents and their opinion, McGonagall worried about every single Gryffindor even if there was no reason to. And, the number of people who worried about Harry seemed too long to list.

Yes, okay, so his boggart had turned into a Dementor and he had froze momentarily. So? Worse things had happened! It was not a reason for everyone to instantly start obsessing over him. It seemed like the only person who hadn't said anything to him about yet was Professor Lupin and it had happened in his class! His father had interrogated him to what seemed like an inch of his life, Dumbledore had checked on him, even High Priest Sephiran had written to him asked about it! Worst yet was Draco. There was something wrong with the blonde Slytherin, there had to be because Harry refused to believe that anyone would fuss over him so much unless they weren't in their right mind.

That's why Harry was standing in the courtyard, next to Draco, just as lunch break was ending. He was going to just come right out and ask the Slytherin what was going on with him. Thinking about it, he probably should've done this at the beginning of lunch rather than the end just in case Draco needed to be persuaded to give him a decent answer. It was too late now so Harry would just have to do his best in the short time they had now.

The question had already been asked. Now, it was all a matter of patience. Harry had never really been much for patience when he was nervous though and when Draco hadn't answered him straight away, he had started to launch into hurried justifications.

"I only ask because you're not usually like this over something so small and it's not like this is the first odd thing. Over the last few months, well more like the last few years really, there had been times when you don't act like yourself. Well, I mean, you are yourself but it's like a part of you that I haven't seen before, or at least hadn't seen before the first time you did it. And I'm not being accusing or anything, I'm just, well, curious I suppose and I just thought..." Harry rambled on until a pale index finger was pressed to his lips gently, instantly hushing him.

"I don't know what's happening to me Harry." Draco told him gently, his tone almost reassuring. All the while, his finger didn't leave its position on the dark haired boy's lips. "I remember a time when I felt differently, when I didn't feel a horrible ache deep inside my chest all the time, but it seems like it was so long ago."

"An ache?" Harry repeated after moving Draco's finger away from his mouth with both hands. "Are you ill then?" He asked in a concerned tone, still holding onto Draco's hand.

"No, no I don't think I'm ill." Draco admitted quietly as he took a step closer to Harry, adjusting his hand so that he was holding Harry's hand rather than the other way around. Harry tilted his head back the slight amount which was required if he was going to keep his eyes fixed to Draco's. "Because whenever I'm close to you, the ache fades just that little bit. And when I'm touching you," with that, he drew Harry into his arms, resting his cheek on top of the dark hair on top of his head. "The ache fades even more."

A light blush covered Harry's cheeks as he was forced to press his face against the warm material of Draco's cotton shirt. Despite the fact what Draco was saying shouldn't make sense, it did to him because Harry remembered why Narcissa had been killed and he remembered the fear they had all felt when wondering if the same thing would happen to Draco. And it appeared to have happened because, from what little Harry already knew, the blonde was describing and showing Veela tendencies. But surely it was too early? Veela came into their Inheritance when they turned sixteen, didn't they?

Harry felt a light pressure underneath his chin and he obeyed it, allowing his head to be lifted back up to look at Draco's face. The blonde Slytherin's eyes were once again that strange silver colour rather than the usual grey and were looking at him with such intensity that it was rather un-nerving. Harry opened his mouth in order to say something but nothing came out as his voice caught in his throat nervously. That seemed to amuse Draco more than anything and he gave the dark haired boy a small smile before leaning forward slowly.

A sense of deja vu swept through Harry at that moment as familiar emotions and feelings began to swirl inside him. Near the surface was the apprehension, the confusion, but underneath that was the calm, the joy, the undeniable feeling that this was right. The hand cradling the side of his neck was firm and reassuring; the warm, clean scented breath tickled his skin as pale lips drew closer to his own. The dark haired boy's eyes drifted shut of their own accord, the last thing him seeing was the half shut eyes of the blonde in front of him. Was it actually going to happen this time? Were they going to actually kiss? Did he want that? It would undoubtedly change things between them both but would it be a change for the better or the worse? Not that there was much he could do about it now as Draco's lips were now so close to Harry's that he could feel their presence hovering just over his skin...

"Harry!" A happy voice called to him from the side suddenly.

The mood was totally broken. Harry's eyes flew open in an instant and he pulled away from Draco quickly, an embarrassed blush colouring his cheeks. Draco's eyes were also open now and, together, they both looked over to where the voice had come from. Over to their right stood Violet who was looking rather startled by their position. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" She asked shyly.

"No, um, you're not interrupting anything." Harry assured her quickly, a little too quickly. He looked to neither Violet or Draco and so missed the look which was shared between them: a small, smug smirk from Violet and a dark, hatred-filled glare from Draco. "Is there, uh, is there something you needed?" The dark haired Gryffindor asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"I have Potions now but I can't remember how to get to the classroom." She answered shyly, embarrassed by her apparent bad memory.

Harry finally lifted his head in order to look at her and offered a small smile. "I'll walk you down there then." He told her before looking back to Draco who was still glaring over at Violet. "I'll, um, I'll see you later, kay?" He asked carefully, seeing the irritation in the blonde's eyes.

Draco's eyes flitted off of the First Year onto Harry and his glare softened slightly, very slightly. "Fine." He bit out, obviously making an effort to control his tone while speaking to the Gryffindor boy.

Harry gave him a small, shy smile in reply to that before turning and hurrying over to Violet. He rested a hand on the middle of her back in order to usher her forward and to indicate the speed they would be walking at in order to stop her from being too late. As they hurried off, Harry once again missed the actions of Violet as she looked over her shoulder and smirked triumphantly at Draco. It took all of the blonde's self control not to go after the pair of Gryffindors and hex the girl into next week. In his opinion, Harry was too trusting; far too trusting.

14th September 1993: Midday

Whenever Harry was in for some trouble, he always had a vision or a dream to guide him. So, when he was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into an empty classroom, what with everything being quiet on the vision front recently, it was more than a little startling. He began to struggle against whoever it was that had him instantly but it was too little effect as whoever it was with their arms around him was substantially stronger than he was. The question of who it was behind him was soon answered when he was pushed up roughly against the wall, an arm held across his neck to stop him from moving around too much. To his great surprise, it wasn't Death Eaters or the such responsible for this but two Fifth Year Slytherins; Bethany Zabini and a boy whose name he didn't know but who he recognised as someone who went around with Draco a lot.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Harry demanded angrily, trying to get out of the boy's hold. "Let me go!"

"Relax Snape, we're all friends here." Bethany sneered, her tone anything but friendly. "After all, anyone who's dear to Draco is dear to us."

"I find that hard to believe considering my current position." Harry practically spat, his hands coming up to the taller boy's arm to try and pull it away to no effect. "Just say what you want to say and let me go." He grumbled with a dark scowl, giving up on trying to struggle free.

"Like I said Snape, any friend of Draco's etc, etc." The girl smirked, stepping forward next to the male Slytherin's side so she was a lot closer to Harry. "And you're obviously a much closer friend now than ever, considering Draco's dumped us for you." Her smirk faded into an expression which was a lot less mocking and a lot more angry.

"Look, if you want to know why he's decided to spend more time with me you'd have better luck asking him. I don't know why he's suddenly decided to spend the majority of his time with me." The Gryffindor told them calmly, glaring at them both lightly.

"We find that very hard to believe." Bethany grunted.

Harry's eyes glanced from the girl to the boy. "Is this guy simply here for muscle or does he actually have conscious thought?" The pressure of the arm on Harry's neck increased with that remark but it was something Harry just couldn't resist saying.

"You're an annoying little prat aren't you?" Bethany sneered, leaning in so that her face was uncomfortably close to Harry's. "You must be a great shag, that's all I can say."

"Ugh, don't be so vulgar." Harry said with no small amount of distaste in his voice. "Besides, why would he need me for that when he has you two to whore for him?"

Bethany released a short, sharp, mocking laugh at that. "Ha, so the little Gryffindor isn't as clueless and virginal as the world thinks." She paused and sneered. "Just you remember everytime you hug him goodbye that the previous night, he's been propositioned with countless sexual favours from every Slytherin over the age of fourteen and, more often than not, he accepts. He's not at all the person you think he is, so leave him alone, leave him with us."

With that, Harry was finally released. He leaned heavily against the wall, his hands coming up to soothe his sore neck, his head bowed as Bethany and the boy left the classroom, the door closing behind them. For some unexplainable reason, the words he had just heard brought tears to his eyes.

31st October 1993: Mid-Morning

For the first time in his life, Harry was angry, really angry. It wasn't the kind of horrified anger at seeing someone killed by Voldemort nor was it the righteous anger he felt whenever he faced the Dark Lord. No, this was pure, annoyed anger at his current situation. Never before had he crossed that line between being annoyed with a situation to being angry with it. He was now though and that anger was directed to his father of all people.

First, the bit which had annoyed him; he wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmeade. Why? Well, he was planning on finding out soon enough. That on its own hadn't been enough to totally make him lose his temper. No, that had happened seconds after he had found out he wasn't allowed to go by Professor McGonagall of all people. His father hadn't even told him! He had allowed Harry to plan a nice day out with Fred and George only to indirectly snatch it away at the very last possible second, disappointing Harry and the twins and causing the two Weasley's to suffer a guilt trip about going without Harry. He had managed to persuade them to go and have a good time eventually but it had taken some work.

That was what annoyed Harry the most though and made him cross the line from annoyance to anger, not that fact he wasn't allowed to go on its own but the fact he hadn't been told before hand; why the Hell not? It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, there had been plenty of time before to tell him and yet not a word was spoken by anyone.

And that was what led Harry down to Severus' rooms in the dungeons to demand to know what was going on. To add insult to injury, Severus was being irritatingly calm about the whole thing, acting no different than he usually did. It was truly infuriating and only served to anger Harry further.

"I apologise for not having told you; I thought for sure I had." Severus told him smoothly from where he was sitting in his chair beside the lit fireplace, not looking up from the book he was reading.

Harry was standing directly in front of him, his hands on his hips and an indignant expression on his face. "So, in other words, you simply forgot to tell me."

"That's twisting my words and you know it." His father replied, still not lifting his eyes.

"Okay, fine, we've established why you didn't tell me, now can I ask why in Merlin's name I'm not allowed to go to Hogsmeade?" The dark haired teenager demanded with a glare at the still reading man.

"It's for your own good." Severus answered simply, turning a page in his book.

"What do you mean it's for my own good? I thought the whole point of going to Hogsmeade was it was for our own good, to give us a break from school!" Harry pointed out.

"Leaving the school grounds, no matter how short a distance away the place is, is not safe enough for you at the moment Haryon." Severus told him calmly but firmly, the first, small signs of irritation starting to creep into his tone. He stood and glided across the room gracefully, heading towards one of the bookcases against the wall.

"Why? Because of Peter Pettigrew?" Harry asked, his tone disbelieving and causing Severus to pause and look at him. "Oh come now Father, I've faced worse than a wandless Peter Pettigrew! Merlin, I've faced his boss and won on three separate occasions! I really don't think I've got anything to fear from him."

"Then it is just as well it is not your decision." The Potions Master ground out, well on his way to losing his temper, as he turned back to the bookcase to replace his book.

"Father, I'm fifteen years old now...!" Harry began to argue.

"And your point is?" His father cut him off quickly, spinning on his heel to face the dark haired teenager. "You still have another two years before you are legally of age Haryon and Merlin knows how much longer before you're mentally mature enough to make decisions for yourself."

"I never claimed to be an adult but neither am I still a child!" The teenager insisted heatedly, apparently losing his patience at the same rate as the man who had raised him. "You cannot hide me away in this school forever. Pettigrew is not a threat and if the past two years are proof of anything it's that Hogwarts isn't always the safehold you wish it was! Face it, I'm not really completely safe anywhere, not with Voldemort..."

"Do not say his name in front of me." Severus ordered harshly, his brow creasing in a glare.

"Oh for goodness sake Father, it's a name, it's not going to hurt you! By fearing it you're just doing exactly what he wants you and everyone else to do. You're afraid of him, practically everyone is, but I'm not and I won't run away from this." Harry told him stubbornly, his eyes hard and his expression firm.

"You're accusing me of running away from the situation?" The professor asked in a deceptively calm and quiet voice.

"You're hiding from it and that's practically the same..." Harry hesitated a moment before deciding to hold nothing back. "They're both still cowardly."

That was obviously the last straw for Severus as he glared at the boy in front of him angrily, his eyes turning into dangerous slits. "Very well, you wish to go out there, play the adored Gryffindor Hero and get yourself killed? Then, by all means, go, because I simply cannot bring myself to care about you anymore." He spat out angrily before turning in a billow of robes and disappearing into the side door which led into his rooms. The door slammed shut behind him and then Harry was left alone in the deafeningly silent classroom.

For a few second, the dark haired boy just stood there, everything which had just happened sinking into him. Then, he took in a gulp of air and turned, dashing through the classroom, heading straight for the door. He flung it open upon reaching it and lurched out before slamming the door shut again and leaning back against it heavily.

Harry released a slow, shuddered sigh, regret stinging his heart. Admittedly, that was one of Severus' tamer come-backs but it was more the fact that, for the first time, Harry had actually said something which deserved the harsh words. It occurred to him that this must be what growing up is and he found that he didn't like it one bit. The urge to go after his father and apologise before begging forgiveness was strong but he realised that it was unlikely that he would be listened to. It would probably be best to allow Severus some time to cool off before Harry attempted to apologise for the things he said. He needed time to cool down too or at least time to allow his erratic heart-beat and shaking limbs to stop. The just-passed argument had shaken him more than a little and all he wanted to do really was sit down somewhere quiet and calm down.

He allowed himself another moment or two to steady himself suitably before he pushed away from the door and started off down the corridor, intent on reaching his dorm room and collapsing onto his bed. He imagined he'd probably stay there for a few hours and brood, maybe until dinner time. And he had plenty of reason to brood because it really had been his fault this time.

It was then that Harry began to wonder if, maybe, this was the beginning of the end of something, whether it was his ever constant worry of his father leaving him or whether that fear would come true and he would be left. He certainly wouldn't blame his father if he decided to just dismiss him. After all, he wasn't a sweet little boy anymore. He was at that awkward stage where he wasn't really anything. Too mature to be called a child and not mature enough to be considered an adult and what with all the hormones...Plus, there was the issue with his true heritage which, as loathe he was to admit it, was bound to come out eventually. Yes, considering all of this merely intensified the feeling he had that the argument was the beginning of something, he just wasn't sure what that something was.

"Harry!" The voice of Violet suddenly cut through his thoughts and he lifted his head to see his younger sister standing by the door into the DADA classroom.

"Hi Violet." He greeted her, continuing the way he was going which just happened to take him past that classroom door. "Professor Lupin." He added politely, giving the two people a friendly smile despite the fact the last thing he felt like doing was smiling.

"Are you planning on doing anything now?" Violet asked him a little shyly.

Harry sighed. "No, no I suppose not." Well, he could hardly say he was going to brood could he? And he couldn't be bothered to think up a lie, his heart wasn't into it.

"Well then, I, uh, we were just wondering if, maybe, you could, I mean, if you want..." The girl stammered awkwardly, staring down at her feet as though they were the most interesting things in the world.

"We wondered if you'd be interested in coming to my office and having a spot of tea." Professor Lupin said eventually, saving his goddaughter from having to get it out of her mouth.

"Oh! Um..." Harry hummed, his smile fading, unsure of what to do. On the one hand, tea with his sister and her godfather would be a wonderful opportunity to get to know her a little better. On the other hand, this was Remus Lupin, one of the people who had helped make his father's life a misery when he was a student. Add that to the fact Severus wasn't exactly pleased with him anyway... "I'm, uh, I'm not sure that would be the best idea..." He began to say.

"If you're worried about anything your father might say, I can always have a word with him or claim I gave you an oddly timed detention." The DADA professor offered with a playful smile.

Harry considered it again and found he couldn't deny the desire he felt to get to know Professor Lupin better as well as Violet. The man seemed so unlike Black and Potter and he had to admit that from what his father had told him, Lupin hadn't actually ever done anything to him, rather he just never stopped it. "Alright then." Harry decided, giving them another smile and a small nod. "I'd love to have tea with both of you."

"Good." Professor Lupin smiled as Violet beamed beside him. He pushed open the door into the classroom open and the girl practically skipped through it. "Come on in then." He invited and Harry beamed a smile at him as he passed the older man. Lupin replied with a happy smile of his own and then followed, guiding the door shut after himself.

31st October 1993: Late Afternoon

"I think I must be growing up." George mumbled glumly as he, his twin brother and Harry made their way up the stairs towards the Gryffindor Tower. The two Weasley's had just returned from their trip to Hogsmeade with a surprising lack of Zonko products with they. They had bought plenty of sweets though, including some to cheer up Harry who they figured would probably need cheering up.

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked around the tip of the length of red-rope liquorice which hung out of his mouth.

"There was nothing in Zonko's which...Inspired me." George told them forlornly, if a little over-dramatically, as they paused to allow the staircase they were standing on to stop moving. "It just seemed like it was the same old stuff that's there every time."

"Well, you do go there every chance you get. And I shouldn't think they can change their stock completely every month or so." The dark haired boy pointed out reasonably.

"No, I think George's got a point Harry." Fred disagreed, sounding thoughtful. "But I don't think it's because we're growing up, I think it's got more to do with the fact that Zonko's just doesn't have any original stuff anymore. It's all the same, every time. Even new products are just remakes of the old ones."

"You know what'd be wicked? If we had our own joke shop." George told them, his voice sounding dreamy towards the end.

"Oh, that would be too good." Fred agreed with a huge grin. "We could design and make our own stock!"

"And then, one shop would turn into two, then two into three, then three into four and the next thing you know, there'll be a Weasley Weezes in every major shopping Alley in Britain." George gushed excitedly.

"Weasley Weezes?" Harry echoed, raising an eyebrow slightly.

George shrugged. "Just a working title."

"We can always change it." Fred agreed with a nod.

Harry smiled in amusement as the twins continued to plan for this shop they were apparently set on opening someday now. It gave them something to do at least. They set off up the stairs again as they had stopped moving but they hadn't gone far when they came across the back of a rather large grouping of Gryffindors, right outside the entrance into the tower. The smile from Harry's face fell and the twins stopped talking when they reached the crowd, all three frowning lightly in confusion.

"Oi, Ginny!" Fred called to his younger sister upon spotting her in the crowd. She turned around upon hearing her name and instantly started to head towards them when she spotted them. "What's going on up there?" He asked when she reached them.

"It's the Fat Lady; she's gone." Ginny told them with a slightly frantic tone.

The eyes of all three boys widened slightly at that. Then, before he knew it, Harry was being dragged through the crowd by Fred and George, one twin on either side of him. "Make way!" George called as they forced their way through their fellow Gryffindors.

"Saviour of the Wizarding World..."

"...And his two friends..."

"...Coming through." Fred called as people finally began to move out of their way now that they knew it wasn't just any old snoop. Of course, it was just any old snoop because Harry knew for a fact the twins only pulled the "hero" card with him when they didn't think it was serious. If they thought it really was something to worry about, they would've kept their distance and remained silent.

Finally, after a lot of pushing and shoving, the three boys had reached the front of the crowd and were in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. And, low and behold, there was no Fat Lady present and the canvas had a large, diagonally cut slash running down from the right hand side to the left. Slowly, Harry stepped further forward as Fred and George stopped to gape openly at the disturbing sight. For Harry, there was a strange sensation coming from the portrait, seemingly radiating from the slash. The dark haired boy stopped in front of the painting and for a moment or two, simply studied it. Then, just as Dumbledore was approaching from behind the crowd, Harry reached forward with his right hand, unaware of the Headmaster's approach, and went to brush the folded over canvas back into position. However, the moment his fingers brushed the paint-covered material, everything around him faded into darkness...

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Everything was completely silent. He still stood in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady but He was no longer Himself, He was Peter Pettigrew, in human form. The silence was deafening as He watched the hands of the body He was in try and force the portrait to open. The Fat Lady looked as though she was yelling but nothing could be heard. Probably to stop the woman making so much noise and possibly alerting someone's attention, a wand was raised and a spell of some sort was used to create the deep cut in the canvas. A sense of satisfaction occurred to Him and He assumed that the Fat Lady had been effectively silenced.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Noise was the first thing which came back to Harry as his vision left him and reality began to sink back in. Loud, frantic chattering all around. Next came physical sensation and he realised that he was standing upright on his own, his hand still lightly touching the ripped canvas though there was the presences of three people very close to him, no doubt ready to catch him in case he suddenly collapsed. And then there was his sight which came back in such a rush that it was rather disorientating and caused him to sway a bit. Arms were instantly around him despite the fact that Harry probably wouldn't have fallen.

"He has a wand." Harry breathed, almost to himself, as he stared at the torn portrait a few centimetres away from him.

"Who does Harry?" That was Dumbledore's voice, coming from behind; he must've been the third presence, the other two being Fred and George. The rest of the surrounding Gryffindors were silent now, obviously all desperate to hear what it was Harry was going to say.

"Peter Pettigrew." The dark haired boy murmured, his lips the only part of his body which was moving. "He's here."

Shocked chatter immediately exploded throughout the students and Harry winced at the over-bearing sound. He vaguely heard Dumbledore tell Filch to secure the castle before the twins made him turn around and he was guided off with them, following on behind Dumbledore.

1st November 1993: Afternoon

"Good afternoon Haryon." High Priest Sephiran greeted Harry as he entered the Headmaster's office.

The dark haired boy turned from where he was petting Fawkes and smiled at the Elvish man. "Good afternoon High Priest, it's nice to see you again."

"Indeed, but the joy is dampened somewhat by the news Professor Dumbledore has just given me. It seems Peter Pettigrew has become more of a threat than any of us first anticipated if he was able to make it into the school." He said as he moved further into the room, a small stack of books in his hands.

"My father seemed to anticipate it a little too well." Harry muttered darkly, glaring off to the side of the room.

Sephiran settled the books on Dumbledore's desk before turning towards his student and pausing. "Is everything all right Haryon?"

"Father and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment." The dark haired boy admitted without thought, his face softening into a sad expression. "And it's most likely my fault."

"Come now Haryon, an argument cannot be had by only one person; both or all parties are usually at fault if only because they participated instead of calming the situation." Sephiran said in a soothing tone as he came up behind his student and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Harry made no reply and only continued to stare into nothing. "I've been told you had another vision yesterday?" The High Priest said, changing the subject.

"Yes, it happened when I touched the ripped portrait of the Fat Lady." Harry told him as he allowed himself to be led over to the two chairs which had been set up in anticipation for their lesson.

"I see." The Elf mused, passing Harry as he sat down and moving towards the chair opposite him in order to sit as well. "Now, think back," he instructed, lowering himself into the seat. "Was there a reason you touched it? Did it feel to you as though something had happened to the portrait, something you couldn't see but you could sense?"

"Yes." Harry answered enthusiastically, nodding his head. "I can't really explain how it felt though. It was just...Different. Neither good or bad, just there. I've never felt anything like it before which I guess is one of the reasons I found it so curious."

"And what exactly was it that happened in your vision?" Sephiran inquired, completely focused on his student and what he was being told.

"I was in Pettigrew's body. I watched through his eyes as he cast some sort of spell on the Fat Lady in order to stop her from calling out for someone to help that created the rip in the canvas. There wasn't any sound and I didn't get to see for what reason he wanted to get into the Tower or whether he got in or not." Harry explained.

"Those elements, although would have been useful, will not be missed. However, at least you have now answered the question we all had of whether the rip in the canvas was actually the mark of a curse or hex. Professor Dumbledore has been quite reluctant to let anyone do anything for fear of a booby-trap of some kind. I understand that the entire school slept in the Great Hall last night." The High Priest said, sounding slightly amused.

"Yes, we did." Harry confirmed before wrinkling his nose. "It's not something I'd want to repeat; the floor was awfully uncomfortable."

Sephiran laughed lightly at that comment before composing himself again. "This is the first time that you have experienced a vision by touching an object, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

"I brought you a book on it." The man smiled as he took one of the books he had brought with him off of the pile on Dumbledore's desk and held it out to his student. "As always, it is best to learn as much as you can about these things. And once again Young Haryon, you are powerful beyond your years; such a thing is usually taught when a Priesthood is coming to an end, around the age of seventeen." Harry accepted the book and turned it over in his hands curiously for a moment. "Now, for our lesson today, I thought we would start on another area which is advanced as well; bringing on visions and such yourself and controlling the ones which are triggered by unknown factors. It will be useful if only so that the blood pressure of those who care about you remains normal for more than five seconds at a time."

"I don't mean to be a worry for you all." Harry said quietly, his head bowing sadly.

"We worry for you Haryon because we care and we are not going to stop caring just because the Great Lady deems you strong enough to be a hero." The Elf assured him gently and Harry's eyes widened a little in surprise; of all the people who had ever called him a hero, High Priest Sephiran was not one of them.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

5th November 1993: Morning

The soft chattering throughout the classroom died the instant the door burst open and the sound of billowing robes came. Most people turned in surprise to see Professor Snape stalking down one of the aisles created by the desks, looking his usual sour self. From where he was sitting at the front, Harry tried to sink down as far as possible in his chair, in no way eager for his father to take notice of him. Severus was a harsh teacher even when they wasn't a bad atmosphere between them. With things how they stood with them still not speaking, the Potions Master would no doubt be completely foul with him if he got the chance.

"Psst, Harry." George's voice came from behind the dark haired boy and Harry leaned back very slightly as a sign that he was listening, earning a curious glance from Draco who sat next to him. "Why is your dad here?" Harry shook his head and shrugged his answer before sitting back down properly and paying attention to his father who now stood at the front, glaring at them all.

"Turn to page two-hundred and ninety-four." He ordered. Slowly, everyone began to comply.

"I don't suppose you know why he's here?" Harry whispered to Draco almost silently, leaning in closer to the blonde boy in order to be heard.

"Nope, but let's find out." The Slytherin smirked before pulling away from Harry and looking to where Severus was pacing down the aisle next to them. "Excuse me Sir, but where's Professor Lupin?"

The Potion Master's gaze instantly snapped onto Draco and Harry made very sure to keep his eyes fixed to the edge of his desk. "I think you'll find Mr Malfoy that isn't really any of your concern." He looked back ahead of him. "Suffice to say, your usual professor is unable to teach you at the present time. Turn to page two-hundred and ninety-four." He finished by repeating his previous order pointedly.

"Well that was wholly unsatisfying." Draco muttered, glaring at the back of Severus as the man continued on.

"Did you really expect to get anything more?" Harry murmured.

"Werewolfs?" Fred called out suddenly, grabbing the attention of practically everyone in the class.

Harry frowned lightly and flipped to the right page in his book. Sure enough, there it was, the section on werewolfs. "But we did nocturnal beasts in Third Year and revision shouldn't be starting until next year, surely?" He said allowed, forgetting himself for a moment.

"Quiet." Severus snapped instantly and Harry's head immediately bowed, a blush covering his cheeks. Beside him, he was pretty sure he heard Draco actually growl. "Revision is always necessary, but as it seems you feel you have no need for it, you will all submit a three foot essay on the werewolf," groans from throughout the classroom, "with particular emphasis on recognising them."

"But Sir, it's Quidditch tomorrow..." George began to protest and Harry turned to watch as Severus all but swooped down at the Weasley, using his hands to support himself on their table.

"Then you had best be careful Mr Weasley, loss of limb will not excuse you." The professor told him, standing up straight again and turning his hard look onto Harry causing the dark haired boy to instantly look away but not without a certain amount of joy; that remark had been directed at him as much as it had George. It meant his father still cared enough to not want to see him hurt and despite the fact they still weren't talking; that fact made the teenager smile.

6th November 1993: Midday

Wind howled through the Quidditch pitch roughly, pushing at the players on their brooms, trying to knock them off. The never lightening rain which pounded down around them constantly didn't help in any way, affecting everyone's concentration and slicking the handles of their broomsticks making them harder to grip effectively. Everyone's hair was plastered to their faces and their uniforms were stuck to their bodies uncomfortably as they darted around, trying to make out the shapes of the various balls which whizzed around through the dense curtain of rain and gloominess.

This was one of those times which Harry really regretted agreeing to do Oliver the favour of playing Seeker. Quidditch was all well and good when being played in nice weather but it was another thing in weather like this. It was awful! Completely awful. And it was the only reason he was flying up so high above the pitch and stands. He had caught sight of the snitch and followed it all the way up to where he was now. The rival Seeker had fallen away at some point some time ago so that took some of the pressure off of him. Still, he was desperate to catch the snitch if only so the match would end and he could get inside where it was warm and dry...Speaking of the temperature, was it his imagination, or was it getting colder all of a sudden?

Ahead of him, through the rain which was rapidly turning into small, sharp needles of ice, he saw the black shape of what he knew was a Dementor. Harry instantly began to curse himself for going so high and cutting himself off from everyone else who could have been able to help him. He supposed that all he could do now was head down as fast as he could and try to avoid all of the Dementors while he did so. And when he said "all of" he meant all of because the one Dementor he had originally seen had been joined by several others now and they all must have noticed him because they appeared to intentionally be heading over to his area.

Harry began to dive down with a grace and speed only accomplished by hours of hard practice, dodging past the odd monster that got too close to him. He actually dove down a fair distance, around twenty feet or so, before a Dementor flew right in front of him so that there was no real way to dodge it. That horrible loneliness and bone-chilling cold immediately took him over with such intensity that it shocked his muscles numb. His hands loosened of what seemed like their own accord and Harry gave a startled cry as his broom slipped from his fingers and he lost his balance, tumbling off to the side and beginning a free-fall of at least fifty feet. On the plus side, the Dementors which were following him couldn't keep up with the speed he was falling at, on the negative side, he still felt terribly lonely and there was no way to save himself as his broom and been swept away by the violent wind.

Tears began to leak out of Harry's eyes. He was freezing cold, he was so alone and he was going to die. What a horrible way to go, but not really so different from how he came into the world. So, it was actually quite fitting. An odd sort of accepting peace meant that he felt no fear, only grim acceptance. He hoped he didn't have to wait too long to die. It would no doubt be very painful and he'd have to suffer it all alone. Because he was alone, he had always been alone.

"Harry!" A faint voice managed to reach him through the rain seconds before he felt the firmness of someone's body. Arms came around him in support and he was pulled close to a chest covered in wet cotton. "Harry, are you all right?"

Harry's gaze flickered up to the face of the person's whose arms he was in. "Fred?" He asked quietly, his voice quivering a little from his tears.

"It's all right mate, you're safe now, I won't let you fall." Fred assured him as he began to take them down, away from the Dementors which were retreating now anyway as Dumbledore sent them away. "You're not alone."

Somewhere in Harry's mind, he knew his friend was right.

8th November 1993: Morning

First thing in the morning and Harry had just had Potions. That wasn't a good arrangement at the best of times, and the fact that, still, he and Severus had not made up just made matters worse. It had been just over a week now since they had argued and it was more than a little disconcerting for Harry that they still weren't speaking despite the fact he had suffered a vision and an attack from Dementors. His father was usually the first one at his side on occasions such as that. However, the argument had been the worst fight they'd had since he started Hogwarts.

Now, he was out of Potions and in DADA. He was hardly in the mood to participate or even properly listen to what was being taught despite the fact that Professor Lupin was back teaching them. The man truly was a wonderful teacher and had an extremely kind nature. Harry had spent a lot of time with Lupin outside of class which probably looked a little weird; a student spending so much social time with a teacher. Not that he cared what most other people thought of him and Professor Lupin didn't seem bothered by it either.

"Harry?" Lupin's voice suddenly sounded and Harry pulled himself from his thoughts, looking up to his teacher quickly. To his confusion, the classroom was emptying signalling the end of the lesson. How long had he been sitting there and not listening? "Could you stay behind for a moment?"

"Oh, erm, sure." Harry agreed before leaning over to the side and picking up his bag in order to pack his things away.

"We'll wait for you outside Harry." Fred assured him as he and George left their seats and began to head out.

"Kay." The dark haired boy agreed, pausing in his packing to smile at his two friends. When they were gone, he turned to Draco who was still standing beside him. "You've got Herbology next, right?" He checked. Draco merely nodded. "I guess I'll see you at lunch then." Harry told him as he and the twins had Care of Magical Creatures. Draco gave another nod before looking like he wanted to say something. Harry watched him patiently for a moment before feeling the need to hurry things along; Professor Lupin was waiting to talk to him after all. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not really, it's just..." Draco murmured as his eyes moved towards where Professor Lupin stood at the front. Harry followed his gaze and frowned lightly in confusion. The two boys turned to look at each other again at the exact same time then. "Just...Be wary, yeah?" The blonde finished eventually, sounding as though he wasn't saying what he really wanted to. Harry gave him a look of complete confusion which obviously amused Draco because he gave the dark haired boy a small smile. "See you later." He said quietly as he leaned in and pecked a kiss to Harry's cheek.

Harry watched his best friend cast one more look in Professor Lupin's direction and then turn and head out with wide eyes. That was the first time Draco had ever kissed him in parting and he felt much the same way as he had the first time the blonde had kissed his cheek. He was surprised, uncertain and felt no small amount of giddiness inside. It was another thing to add to the list of strange behaviour; he really needed to get around to starting some research on it.

"You and Mr Malfoy hmm?" Lupin asked in a friendly way as he came up to stand beside the desk Harry was by. "I must say you hide it well. I knew you were life-long friends but I never knew it was more than that."

Harry immediately snapped out of his stupor and looked at Lupin in something akin to horrified embarrassment. "No, no, it's not like that! I mean, we're not together. Draco's just a little...Affectionate with me sometimes." He corrected quickly, a blush covering his cheeks.

"Really? Well, I definitely got the impression that Mr Malfoy wishes you were more." The DADA teacher told him playfully.

"You...You think so?" Harry asked unsurely, part of him strangely jumping for joy upon hearing that.

"Yes, I thought it was quite obvious really." Lupin told him with a smile. "You don't seem so sure though? Do you not like him in that way?"

"I, uh, I don't know." Harry admitted shyly, a voice at the back of his mind wondering why he was talking about this to a teacher of all people. Another voice answered that this was the only person he knew who was distant enough from him at the same time as being close and who wouldn't make a joke out of it. "I mean, Draco's always been there and I do love him, I just don't know if it's, you know, romantic love."

"Would it be a problem if it was romantic love?" The tired looking man asked carefully, moving around so he could lean onto the desk they were near.

"I don't know. I don't think Uncle Lucius would mind but I'm not sure about my father. I get the feeling from him at times that he doesn't approve of Draco's views on relationships..."

"No Harry, I mean would it be a problem for you." Lupin interrupted gently, correcting the boy's train of thought.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, Draco's a boy."

Harry blinked at him a couple of times. "...And?"

"That's not a problem for you?" The man asked, sounding slightly amazed and suddenly Harry realised what it was his teacher was getting at.

He smiled. "Factors such as gender are unimportant in love. What matters is the emotion. That's one of the first things that Havanist children are taught."

"If only all societies could teach that." Lupin mused somewhat sadly. "It would save people a lot of trouble. I have to say that you and Sirius are the only men I have ever met who truly don't see gender as an issue worth considering when it comes to a relationship."

"You're putting me on the same level as Sirius Black?" Harry asked indignantly, only half joking.

The professor laughed. "Only on that one issue I assure you. Otherwise, you're completely different from him." He assured with an amused smile. "Anyway," he said abruptly, standing straight and turning to head towards his desk. "On with the reason I actually asked you to stay behind. I heard about the Quidditch match."

"Oh, yes, that." Harry sighed dejectedly. "I don't understand why they affect me so badly when they don't do it to anyone else. It makes me feel so weak and helpless."

"It's because of what's happened to you in the past." Lupin told him gently as he sat down behind his desk at the front of the classroom. "There are true horrors in your past Harry, horrors your classmates can scarcely understand. The Dementors affect you more than they do others because of the unhappy events of your past. It's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and makes you in no way weak. In fact, it's a credit to your strength; if you weren't as strong as you are, you wouldn't cope as well as you do."

"But..I'm scared Professor." The short boy admitted quietly, bowing his head as he made his way to stand in front of the man's desk.

"Well, I'd think you a fool if you weren't." The professor answered with a slight smile. "But, as to why you're here again, I want to offer to teach you a way to defend against the Dementors, seeing as they seem to have taken such an interest in you. There's a charm used to repel them and I'm willing to teach you it."

"It wouldn't hurt them would it? I mean, it's a defensive spell rather than an offensive spell, right?" Harry checked anxiously.

"No, it doesn't hurt them as far as I know."

"Then I'd appreciate any help you can give me Professor." Harry said with a small smile.

"They would have to be lessons during your spare time." Lupin warned him.

"That doesn't matter, I have every weekend free since I'm not allowed to go to Hogsmeade at the moment." The student pointed out with a light frown. His face cleared again almost instantly though and he once again smiled at his teacher. "When do we start?"

"Not until after the holidays I'm afraid." Lupin told him with a sigh as he took up a quill and began to note something down on a piece of parchment he retrieved from a pile in the corner of his desk. "I need to rest for a while."

It was then that Harry noticed just how tired and worn Professor Lupin actually looked. His face was slightly pale and drawn, his eyes rather dull though still friendly and the way he was sitting suggested that it was requiring a lot of effort on his part to stay sitting up straight. Worry immediately clouded Harry's expression and he gazed at the kind man in front of him sadly. "Professor, are you all right?"

Lupin looked up from where he was writing and gave him a soft smile which seemed to make him look only more tired. "It's nothing I haven't suffered before." The man assured him before holding out a piece of parchment. "Here's a note excusing that late arrival of you and your friends to you next class."

"Thank you Professor." Harry murmured, taking the parchment. Lupin gave him another smile which Harry returned before turning and making his way out of the classroom.

9th November 1993: Morning

"Isn't breakfast boring?" George sighed as he pushed his scrambled eggs around on his plate.

"It's breakfast, it doesn't have to be particularly interesting." Harry replied before taking in a spoonful of his cornflakes.

"But other countries have interesting breakfasts!" The ginger haired boy insisted.

"You only think that because it's different from us. For them, it's probably as boring as an English breakfast is for you." Fred reasoned.

George stared at his twin blankly for a second before shaking his head. "Nah, I don't think so." He disagreed, causing Fred to frown at him in annoyance.

"All right then George, what would an interesting breakfast be?" Harry asked, knowing that this conversation wasn't going to end until George had everything off of his chest.

"I dunno, just something different." He shrugged lightly. "Like having fish for breakfast."

"We're not Japanese." Fred pointed out dryly, helping himself to another bit of toast.

"Well duh Fred otherwise you'd be chomping on something out of the sea instead of a bit of toast." George muttered before speaking properly again. "Or how about something sweet? Like pancakes or those sweet waffle things."

"Like Americans." Fred noted, lowering his toast and giving his brother a pointed look. "Do you just not want to be British or something?"

"Hey, don't put words in my mouth!" George protested. "Just because I'm bored of having the same thing for breakfast everyday doesn't mean I'm not proud to be British. Pip, pip, tally ho, God save the Queen and all that. I'm all for it, I just think we have a really boring choice of breakfast."

"You do realise that's got more to do with the school and the house-elves rather than us being in Britain, right?" Harry put in, giving George an amused smile.

"Oi, stop ganging up on me you two! Merlin, I wish I'd never said anything now." George grumbled with a pout, going back to poking at his eggs just as the owls delivering the morning mail arrived.

Harry went back to his cereal, not expecting anything to come for him as it was his turn to write to Rhys and Marcia that week. So, when a bird did land right in front of him with an envelope attached to its leg, it was rather unexpected and, if he was honest, a little worrying especially when he recognised his name on the front to have been written in Lucius' cursive script. He quickly retrieved the letter and ripped it open hazardously, silently praying that it wasn't seriously bad news he was about to receive. He pulled out the neatly folded parchment inside the envelope and unfolded it, his eyes instantly falling onto the writing scrawled down the page:

Dear Haryon

Knowing you as well as I do, the first thing I will say is that there is nothing seriously wrong. No one has died and nothing else terrible which has no doubt occurred to you in the last few seconds it has taken you to open this letter has happened, so calm down. The reason I have sent you this unexpected letter is to ask you a favour; please, won't you forgive your father?

I don't know what it is that happened between the two of you as, unsurprisingly, the stubborn man who is your father has refused to talk about it. The most I know is that you're going through a period of silence with him that he does not know how to break as much as he wants to. And, believe me Haryon, he does want to. You're most likely unaware that I visited the school yesterday evening as I didn't have a chance to see you or Draco as I had planned to after meeting with your father as he was...Distraught to say the least. I heard about what happened during you last Quidditch match and you have no idea how much it hurt your father to not go and see you, to check that you were all right. He didn't know how he could though. Don't tell him I said this, but I get the distinct impression that he is rather afraid to face you again. He told me how angry you were the last time you spoke. You, Haryon? Angry? I would ask if everything is all right but I think that can wait until we're face to face.

Please Haryon, talk to your father and make things right. I don't doubt you're as miserable as he is and no doubt wish to make up with him too. Don't be afraid to be the first to approach him, he needs you to start off the apologies. If all is successful, I'll no doubt hear about it in the next few days.

With my affection,  
Lucius

Harry sighed lightly as he lowered the letter and closed his eyes. It had never occurred to him that Severus might be suffering so much because, if he was completely honest, deep down, he was still somewhat unsure of the longevity of the man's love for him. The fear of abandonment had faded as he had grown older but it was still there, it would probably always be there, especially with the fear of the Potions Master finding out about his birth family. But here was his godfather's letter to him, telling him that Severus was suffering and wanted to make up and how could he say no to that?

9th November 1993: Afternoon

It was when Professor Snape dismissed the Fifth Year Potions class at the end of their afternoon lesson that it actually hit Harry that he was planning to apologise to the man after the lesson. It suddenly became real and butterflies began to torment his stomach and he became a lot less confident. He wasn't going to run away though, he'd do the right thing and sort this all out once and for all now that he knew that his father wanted to make up with him as much as Harry wanted it.

"Coming Harry?" Fred asked as he and George stood from their seats.

"No, erm, you guys go on without me, I'm...I'm gonna stay behind for a moment." Harry told them, casting his eyes over to his father who was arranging something on his desk.

Fred and George both followed his gaze before looking back at their friend with worry. "Are you sure you don't want us to wait outside for you?" George asked quietly.

"Positive. Thanks though." The dark haired boy smiled at them reassuringly. "I'll see you back in the common room, kay?"

"I suppose so." Fred sighed.

"Good luck." George wished as they both turned and headed out of the classroom.

Harry watched them go and so also watched as Draco, who had been cornered by his Slytherin friends early in the lesson, headed out with Bethany hanging off of his arm like a limpet. On Draco's other side was the boy who had joined the Zabini girl in the threatening several weeks ago. Remembering that, a blush tinged Harry's cheeks and he looked away quickly, desperately trying not to visualise various intimate activities involving Draco and various other faceless Slytherins. Staring down at the edge of his desk, Harry missed the curious expression on Draco's face which quickly morphed into irritation as Bethany pulled on his arm, dragging him out of the classroom.

And so it was empty. It was just Harry, still sitting at his desk and gathering his courage, and Severus, still shuffling things on his desk and it was now obvious that he was merely busying himself rather than doing anything productive. The atmosphere was tense, both males aware of the other and aware that the other was aware. There was silence except for the rustling of papers. Then, everything was broken with the scrape of Harry's chair as he slid it back in order to stand. Severus stopped what he was doing but didn't turn around. The sound of Harry's footsteps on the stone floor echoed off the stone walls until he stopped just behind the Potions Master.

Harry clasped his hands in front of himself and looked down at the floor. He took in a steadying breath before opening his mouth and forcing sound to come out: "I-I want to a-apologise for the other day." He stammered slightly, cursing himself silently for not being able to keep his voice steady. "I over-reacted and I shouldn't have said the things I did. I...Was out of line and I...I just want to tell you I'm sorry." There, that was it, he'd said it, he'd made the first move.

"I, too, owe you an apology." Severus murmured quietly, still not turning to look at his son. "I should have explained things to you more fully instead of expecting you to just accept them. I sometimes forget that you are, indeed, growing up."

Harry smiled lightly before stepping forward and leaning his body against his father's back, his eyes closing happily. "I don't mind." He mumbled. With that, Severus turned around and pulled Harry into his arms. The dark haired boy wrapped his arms around his father's waist and rested his cheek against the taller man's chest. "I missed you." He whispered truthfully.

"As I missed you." Severus replied gently, leaning down and kissing the top of his son's head.

For the first time in over a week, Harry was completely happy.

13th November 1993: Night

Harry gave a loud, frustrated groan as he rocked back on his heels, intentionally over-balancing and landing on his backside. He glared at his school trunk darkly as though his frustration was all its fault. It probably wasn't unless the trunk had somehow developed the skill of eating his possessions.

The door of the dorm room opened then and Harry looked over his shoulder to see Fred and George making their way in, talking animatedly. It was good luck for Harry as they were exactly the two he needed to speak with. "Guys?" He said to get their attention. "Have you seen the Marauder's Map anywhere? I don't think it's in my trunk." The twins shared a guilty look at that and then looked anywhere but Harry. "What happened?"

"We got caught." Fred sighed mournfully, walking over to his bed and collapsing onto it.

"Us, of all people, got caught." George added, going over to his brother and flopping down next to him.

"Who by?" Harry inquired, standing up and moving over to them.

"Lupin."

"And he confiscated the Map."

"Really? That surprises me. I would've thought he'd just tell you not to do it again and let it be." The dark haired boy mused, sitting on his bed opposite the two Weasleys.

"He said it was irresponsible for us to keep it." Fred grunted. "Said we were putting you in danger,"

"That if Peter Pettigrew found it he could easily use it to find you." George finished in exactly the same tone.

"But I don't see how that makes sense." Fred said in a normal tone, rolling onto his stomach and looking at his brother. "How could that rat use it without knowing the spell to activate it?"

"Unless he already knows it." Harry murmured, staring at the window beside his bed. The twins turned to stare at him. "What if he helped to make it?"

Realisation lit Fred's face. "Wormtail."

"Like a rat." George said after.

Harry only nodded slightly, rather surprised with himself. He wasn't completely sure why he had so naturally linked Pettigrew to the Marauder's Map, it had just been a rather prominent idea in his mind which he had voiced without thought. Perhaps it was another one of his many talent coming through. He'd be sure to ask High Priest Sephiran in their next lesson.

22nd November 1993: Midday

Not surprisingly, just because Harry and Severus had made up, that didn't mean that Harry was suddenly allowed to go to Hogsmeade at the weekends again. No, he was still, for all intents and purposes, locked within the school grounds while everyone else was out enjoying the weekend of freedom. It gave him time to finally start his research on Draco without fear of interruption though. Well, most interruption as he wasn't completely alone; beside him sat Violet who had decided to join him in the library, doing some of her own homework while he read up on Veela.

So far, he had found out very little that he didn't know before about said magical creatures: they were very beautiful; they had mates; they would go insane if they didn't bond with their mate. However, he also found out a bit of intriguing information; there were two different types of Veela. The general type that originally came to mind when first hearing the word Veela and another type called Luna Veela. Luna Veela were created when a baby was born during a Blue Moon, so they were rare but not impossible. If what Harry knew about Narcissa's history was correct, there were no Veela in her family so that probably meant that she had been one of these Luna Veela. The book said that not an awful lot of information was known about Luna Veela as they were so rare but it did say three things which were very interesting.

Fact number one was that Luna Veela started to develop before the other type of Veela which would explain why Draco started to change at such an early age. Fact number two: Luna Veela were a lot more promiscuous than the regular Veela before mating which would explain Draco's habit of sleeping with anything with a pulse. Fact number three: although a Luna Veela could pass on the abilities to their off-spring they would be severely watered down. So, that begged the question of exactly how much of the Luna Veela genes had been passed along to Draco and exactly how much did they affect him? The book neither answered or offered an explanation to that question and so Harry was left knowing very little more than when he had first started.

"Harry?" Violet spoke suddenly.

"Hmm?" He hummed in reply distractedly.

"What are you reading?" She asked curiously, obviously bored with working and the silence and deciding it was time to talk.

"It's a book about Veela." He answered, marking his page just in case this turned into a long conversation.

"Is it for Care of Magical Creatures?"

"No, it's more of a...Personal research project."

"You're doing it for fun?" Violet said, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the thought.

Harry smiled at her expression. "I wouldn't call it "fun" exactly. I'm doing it because I need to know, just not for class. I think I know someone who might be a Veela."

"Really? Do you think you're her mate?" The First Year girl inquired, her tone strangely forced and her eyes moving to avoid looking anywhere near Harry.

"It's a he and I don't think I am but I can't be sure I suppose." He answered, noting her change in manner and trying his best to ignore it, going back to looking at his book.

"You're not talking about Draco Malfoy are you?" She questioned, her nose scrunching up again.

"I might be."

"There's no way you can be his mate!" Violet insisted heatedly, making sure to keep her voice down though. "You deserve so much better than that...That...Play-boy!" Harry's gaze flickered from the book to his sister and he saw the sad look she was giving him. "And he doesn't deserve someone as wonderful as you." She told him, reaching over and shyly laying her hand on top of his right one.

A bright blush instantly lit Harry's face and he fought the desire to snatch his hand away. Oh, this was wrong on so many different levels! And what could he do about it? Reject her and he'd ruin their friendship, tell her the truth and risk totally alienating her from him, accept her and this crush...No, that wasn't even an option! Ugh, why did this sort of drama always have to plague his life? Why couldn't he just be friends with his secret sister and not have her develop a romantic interest in him? She was watching him; did she expect him to say something to that? What could he say! Oh, why oh why couldn't someone, anyone, come along and save him from this?

"Not interrupting anything am I?"

Harry wasn't sure whether he was thankful for hearing that voice or whether he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. Slowly, his eyes moved to look at the scowling Draco who stood at the side of the table he and Violet were sitting at before instantly letting his eyes drop again, now snatching his hand away from his sister hastily.

"I, uh, I thought you'd gone to Hogsmeade this weekend with your friends?" He asked somewhat pathetically, not knowing what else he could say.

"I came back early." The blonde replied in a monotone, his eyes not leaving an irritated-looking Violet Potter. "Get lost." He told her simply.

"I don't have to listen to you." She shot back at him confidently with a glare.

"You do if you want to live to hit puberty," Draco growled and an embarrassed blush crossed the girl's cheeks. "Now get lost!" He insisted heatedly.

Harry gave his sister's shoulder a little nudge to get her attention and she turned her head very slightly to look at him. He inclined his head in the direction of the doors which led out of the library and gave her a small smile. She looked as though she was about to argue but Harry shook his head, indicating that she should keep quiet. Reluctantly, she stood up and gathered everything on the table which was hers swiftly. When her bag was over her shoulder, she gave Harry one last look before walking away, making sure to bash into Draco's side none too gently as she did so.

"That girl needs a good smack or something." Draco muttered bitterly as he fell gracefully into the seat beside Harry said girl had just left, his eyes not leaving her form as she retreated from the library.

"She's just a kid." Harry sighed lightly, closing his book and pushing it away from himself.

"A kid who's got ideas above her age and station." The blonde grunted before turning to look at Harry and smiling finally. "How are you though? I haven't seen you today." He asked, his tone suddenly becoming all sweetness and light.

"Yes, you skipped breakfast didn't you?" Harry noted thoughtfully, feeling more at ease now that his best friend was out of his scary psycho mode.

"Ugh, Bethany and Spari were being a couple of annoying bitches and insisting we left for Hogsmeade early." Draco muttered darkly, his voice filled with contempt.

"Draco, that's no way to speak about your friends!" The dark haired boy chided though it was more a natural reaction than anything. It was confusing though; Draco wasn't just friends with those two, he was intimate with them yet he spoke about them with such apparent dislike. Perhaps the Slytherin was just having a bad day or something of the such.

"They're not friends Harry, they're releases." The blonde told him, his tone suddenly sounding far off. "Them and everyone else. They mean nothing to me, they're just a means to an end, ways to release stress and tension."

"Isn't that awfully lonely?" Harry asked quietly, saddened to hear his best friend true feelings.

Draco shrugged. "It's the best I can get until the person I love is ready."

"You're...You're in love with someone?" Harry gasped. That was news to him!

"Oh yes, completely in love." Draco smiled at him, an odd smile which seemed to be a cross between affectionate and genuine amusement over something which Harry wasn't aware of. "He's not ready for me to tell him yet though."

"I see." The dark haired boy murmured thoughtfully, trying to relate this new information to what he had read about Veela so far.

"It's awfully stuffy in here, isn't it?" The blonde said suddenly, stretching in his chair before standing up. "Let's go for a walk outside."

"Sure." Harry agreed, getting tired of reading and needing a break anyway. He stood up too and gathered his books in his arms. Together, the two boys returned them to the section they had originally come from, Draco not commenting on the subject if he noticed, before heading out of the library, Harry's arm linked through Draco's.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

19th December 1993: Morning

Harry paused when he reached the portrait which blocked him off from Severus' rooms. He needed to get himself in the right frame of mind, he needed to make sure that he looked sweet and innocent, enough to make the Potions Master's usually cold heart melt at the very sight of him. His hair was loose today and adjusted in a way that gave him a definite feminine quality which was why he usually avoided it like the plague. His father liked his hair that way though, said it reminded him of Harry's grandmother, so he hoped it would help him in the upcoming situation so he made the sacrifice just this one time.

Feeling as prepared as he probably ever would, Harry squared his shoulders confidently and stepped the one pace needed to put him directly in front of the portrait. "Half-blood prince." He spoke and the portrait swung inwards, allowing him entrance. Butterflies of anticipation began to flutter in his stomach and he fought to keep a nervous grin off of his face. Stepping through the newly created gap in the wall, his eyes immediately fell onto the form of Severus sitting at the desk in the top corner of the left hand side of the room. Harry's face finally gave way to his grin as he stepped the rest of the way into the room and approached the man. "Father?" He asked in an innocently sly way.

"Hmm?" The reply came, sounding mostly distracted.

"You love me don't you?" Harry asked in the same way, gliding up behind his father and wrapping his arms around the man's shoulders.

"What do you want?" Severus asked in his usual clipped tone though the fact he hadn't shrugged his son off or even told him to go away was a very good sign.

"Nothing really." The dark haired boy murmured, resting his chin on the man's shoulder as his arms lowered but still surrounded him. "I just wondered if I could go to Hogsmeade today." He said quickly, ending the sentence with a peck to his father's cheek.

"Haryon..."

"Oh please Father." Harry begged, tightening his hold so that the professor wasn't able to break away unless he tried with quite a bit of force. "I only want to get everyone's Christmas presents. There's less than a week until Christmas Day and I don't have a single present for anyone, not even you. Please Father, just for this afternoon, just for as long as it takes me to buy something for everyone."

For a while, Severus remained silent and still as did Harry, both keeping their positions. For every second the silence stretched on, Harry's confidence grew. If Severus was going to say no, he wouldn't be taking this long about it. It was encouraging that the silence was dragging on as it was. When Severus shifted, Harry knew he was about to get his answer. He released his father's shoulders and moved to the side in order to look at him.

After another second or two of just staring at each other, Severus finally spoke: "You may not go to Hogsmeade."

Harry's heart sank and his jaw dropped; WHAT? "But Father..." He instantly began to protest but stopped when the man held up a hand for silence.

"Going to Hogsmeade on your own is still something I am uncomfortable with..." Severus began.

"Then let me go with someone else! Draco maybe, or you, even another teacher!" Harry interrupted slightly desperately.

"Do not interrupt me." His father scolded with a frown and Harry's mouth clicked shut again. "As I was saying, you going out on your own is something that makes me acutely uncomfortable at this moment in time. Going with someone else with you is acceptable. This in mind, merely going to Hogsmeade seems a bit wasteful. Therefore, you are more than welcome to accompany Lucius and myself when we go out for a few last minute presents this afternoon."

Harry's eyes lit up when he heard that and he gave a happy squeal, the memory of which would later make him cringe in embarrassment, as he launched himself into Severus' arms. "Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He gushed happily.

"You're welcome brat." Severus replied affectionately, leaning down to kiss the top of Harry's head. "Of course, you will have to keep your hair like this when you come." He murmured, lifting a few strands and running his fingers through them.

"What?" Harry asked, aghast. "Why?"

"Call it punishment for trying to wrap me around your little finger in such a way." His father smirked with only amusement in his tone. "Now, away with you." He ordered with a wave of his hand. "I have essays I want to get out of the way. We'll be leaving right after lunch so make sure you're ready by then."

19th December 1993: Midday

"Bye for now Harry!" George called as he, Fred, Ginny and Percy walked further away from the entrance into the school. Harry, dressed in his out-door winter clothes in preparation for shopping with Severus and Lucius, stood in the threshold and waved them off with a cheery smile on his face.

"See you in the new year!" Fred added next, getting further and further away.

"See you again soon." Harry smiled just before they were out of earshot. They all gave each other one final burst of waving before the pack of Weasleys turned around and began to walk normally. Harry allowed his arm to drop to his side then and contented himself with watching them shrink into the distance where the dots of far off carriages were.

"Harry, there you are." The familiar voice of Hermione came from behind him. He turned around to look back into the school to see the frizzy haired Third Year hurrying towards him, dragging her trunk after her and being followed by the two Potter siblings. "I checked the Great Hall and when you weren't there I was afraid I wouldn't get the chance to wish you a merry Christmas." She told him as she reached him and pulled him into a hug.

"Merry Christmas to you too." He smiled, giving her back a few pats before they separated. "I'm sorry I can't give you your gift now but I haven't been able to buy anything yet. I'll send it to you with Hedwig the first moment I get."

"Oh Harry, don't be silly, you don't have to get me anything." Hermione insisted.

"No, I don't have to but I want to if only to say thank you for being such a good friend." Harry told her and the hidden meaning behind those words was recognised. Hermione gave him a soft, sympathetic smile before pulling him into her arms again. "May the Goddess bless you and your loved ones for the kindness you've shown me." He whispered in her ear and put all his will into it knowing that as he was a High Priest in training, those words should actually have a positive effect.

"Merlin Granger, let him breathe." Violet muttered as she stalked past them, a dark scowl on her face.

Hermione and Harry pulled back in order to watch the younger girl walk out of the school. "Quite a temper she's got really." Harry said rather weakly, trying to make light of the situation. Hermione gave him a pointed look which said numerous things without words and the dark haired boy gave her a weak smile. "You'd better get going or they'll leave without you. Have a wonderful Christmas." He wished her before looking over to the two other boys who were standing at the side waiting for their friend patiently. "Same goes to you too Potter, I suppose."

"Oh wow, the Boy Who Lived wished me a merry Christmas." Potter muttered as he started forward, heading in the direction his sister had just gone. "Well that's just made my year."

Harry smiled in slight amusement at the boy's attitude and watched him go for a second before looking back to Hermione. She looked irritated, no doubt with Potter's attitude. Harry wasn't bothered though. Potter's comments were pretty harmless and he now mostly just ignored the boy what with their biological relationship a known fact to the older of the boys.

With a few last parting goodbyes and wishes of happy Christmas', Hermione went after Potter, Harry watching her go and waving her off. He didn't mind goodbyes too much when he knew he was definitely going to see the people he was saying goodbye to again. It was when they were final goodbyes that he hated because they never led to anything good. Abandonment and death; those were what forever goodbyes were for.

Having now thoroughly depressed himself with those thoughts, Harry sighed and turned, intending on going down to the dungeons to meet his father in time to go Christmas shopping with him and Lucius. However, when he turned, he was confronted with the sight of Draco, Bethany Zabini and that Spari guy all standing there watching him. The dark haired boy blinked in slight surprise, not expecting to find such a gathering staring at him and unsure of what to make of it. So, in the end, he did the only thing he could think of which would allow this to pass without interaction; he turned to the left in order to avoid walking anywhere near them. It would mean a bit of a detour on the way to the dungeons but it was better than having to confront Zabini and Spari even if Draco was there with them.

"Harry?" Draco's voice stopped the Gryffindor mid-step and he turned to look at the blonde. "Why are you wearing your out-door cloak?"

"I'm going Christmas shopping with Father and Uncle Lucius in a few minutes." Harry told him before he started to carry on, all the while hoping that the two other Slytherins didn't decide to join this conversation.

"I thought you were still under school-arrest to protect you from Pettigrew." The blonde said in a slightly desperate tone as though he was anxious to stop Harry from leaving.

"I am, that's why I'm going with them, for protection." The dark haired boy answered as he stopped again and turned to look at his best friend. He was intent on ignoring both of the other Slytherins either side of him and he offered a smile. "Why don't you come with us? Even if you've got nothing else to buy it'd be nice to spend some time all together again."

"Draco can't go, he's got to stay and help us prepare for the party." Bethany instantly protested, noticeably tightening her grip on the blonde's arm much to his disgust.

Harry wasn't going to ask "what party?" because he knew that's exactly what the girl wanted so she could no doubt brag about/rub his nose in it so he just smiled at Draco again. "Oh well, it was only a suggestion. If you already have plans it's no big deal, I'll just see you later." Once again, he turned and began to walk off.

"Oi Snape?" That was a boy's voice so Harry guessed it was Spari. "Nice hair."

Harry cringed slightly at that and the mocking laughter from him and Bethany afterwards but he didn't turn and he didn't reply, he just kept going. After a few seconds of nothing, he figured he was actually being allowed to go this time without being stopped by someone saying something and he was grateful and not just because it was annoying. Curiously, his heart felt heavy and a small lump had formed in his throat when Draco had apparently chosen his other friends over him, first by not accepting his invite to join him and Severus and Lucius but also when the blonde had failed to defend him from Spari's obviously malicious comment. It was unfair, though, for Harry to ask or even expect Draco to drop previous plans just to spend time with him and it was good practice for when Draco found his mate...

That thought only made him feel worse and then beginnings of tears began to sting the backs of his eyes. He mentally frowned at himself for being such an emotional baby and stubbornly swallowed back the lump. He was the one being weird now. Why did the thought of Draco not wanting to spend time with him in favour of being with his mate make him hurt so much? The two of them were just friends, nothing more, yet the thought...Was there something he was missing about himself? Was Draco still just a close friend to him? Or was it more?

Harry blinked a couple of times as the tears continued to try and break free. He lowered his head to hide his eyes as they were no doubt getting a little blood-shot now but it was because of that, that when he turned a corner, he didn't see the on-coming person in order to avoid them. It wasn't a bad collision as neither of them had been going very fast but a hand came down to his shoulder to steady him none-the-less. Harry lifted his head to find it was Professor Lupin who he had bumped into and relief instantly rushed through him; he wasn't sure how he'd be able to handle himself around anyone else in the state he was in at that moment.

"Are you all right Harry? You're eyes are a little red." The tired looking man noted gently, his hand not leaving Harry's shoulder.

"It's nothing." Harry insisted easily, trying to hide the slight quiver in his voice. "Really it isn't."

"Well something must've started it." Lupin said reasonably in a kind voice which only made Harry tear up more.

Harry gave a small laugh and bowed his head again. "Please don't be nice to me at the moment Sir." He said, tears now more than a little evident in his voice.

"Don't be silly Harry, of course I'm going to be nice to you, especially when you're upset even if it makes you more upset." Lupin said as he pulled Harry a little closer but didn't embrace him, just kept his hand on Harry's shoulder firmly as his other rooted around in his pocket for a handkerchief. "You shouldn't bottle everything up if you feel like crying. Fell free to, I'm hardly going to tell anyone." He assured as he finally freed the handkerchief and handed it to Harry.

"Thanks." Harry sniffed, using the square of cotton to dab at his eyes under his glasses. He gave another tearful laugh. "Merlin, this is so embarrassing. I feel like some kind of over-emotional girl. I don't even know why I'm crying really, it's ridiculous." He sighed then and gave another sniff before his shoulders sagged and he leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against his DADA professor's chest, just underneath his shoulder. "I don't want him to leave me alone." He whispered sadly, his eyes closing slowly.

"Who?" Lupin asked gently, his voice almost as quiet as Harry's.

"Draco."

"It is something more than friendship then?" The man asked, sounding rather knowing already though.

Was it? Could he be...? Did he want...? Was Draco more...? "I don't know." Harry whispered, a few more tears falling from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks slowly.

It was then that the hand on Harry's shoulder slid around them so that he was in a very loose, one-armed hold, one he could easily pull away from if he wanted. It was comforting though and Harry felt no real desire to move away. Yes, he would probably look back at this moment and cringe in complete embarrassment later on when he was feeling more normal but for now he was just thankful for the comfort.

Neither of them were sure how much time passed with them both just standing there, Lupin offering silent support and Harry absorbing it like a sponge. Then, the peace they had created was shattered with the call of Harry's name from Severus. Neither looked in the direction the call had come from but Lupin's arm dropped instantly, not rushed as though he was embarrassed but simply because it was the smartest course of action, and Harry stepped back a small pace so that there was some air separating him from his professor again.

Harry kept his head down, his loose hair falling around his face and hiding it from view. "Thank you Professor." He murmured as he held out the handkerchief for the man in front of him to accept again. "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"It wasn't any trouble Harry." Lupin assured him gently, taking the square of cotton back. "If you ever need to talk to someone again, you know my door is always open to you."

Harry raised his head and offered a small, watery smile. "Thanks." He said one last time before lowering his head again and walking away, over to where Severus and Lucius were watching the whole interaction angrily and curiously respectively.

"Do you mind telling me exactly what that was?" Severus demanded to his son the moment the teenager was in range to hear the hissed words and to be grabbed and yanked towards him.

"Severus, careful." Lucius warned quietly, noting that not only was Lupin still watching but Draco had now joined the audience off to one side as well.

Severus ignored the blonde man and glared down at his son. Harry said nothing, only simply lifted his head and looked up at his father with his slightly red eyes and dampened cheek, clear signs that he had been crying for quite a while. The hard look on Severus' face vanished and was replaced with one of pure concern. "Haryon?"

Still, Harry said nothing. He just bowed his head again and leaned forward, pressing his face against his father's chest and bringing his arms up to lightly grip the front of the man's black out-door cloak. Severus shared a brief look with Lucius as he brought his arms around his son and the blonde man broke it first, looking over to where Lupin was still watching them. Then, his grey eyes flickered over to where Draco was standing. The younger Malfoy's eyes met with his father's and a small spark of realisation came at the back of the elder's mind. He gave his son a small nod which was obviously a sign of something only the two of them were aware of before he returned his attention to Harry, resting his hand on his godson's shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze.

25th December 1993: Morning

A soft smile of happiness played across Harry's lips as he sat up on the edge of his bed and stretched his arms and back lazily. Once he had reached over for his glasses and slipped them onto his nose, it didn't take him long to notice the small pile of presents by the window he had left open the night before to allow the owls from his friends to enter. He wouldn't open them yet, he'd take them down to Severus' rooms and open them with the presents he'd receive from his family. However, before he headed down to his father, he had his own, religious ritual to do.

The next few minutes were spent cleaning up, waking up and then getting dressed in his priest robes. For once, he was glad that his other four dorm mates had gone back home for Christmas as it meant he could do what needed to be done in the room instead of having to either wait, (which wasn't really proper), or wander around and find somewhere else to do it, (which wasted time and delayed him).

It didn't take long for Harry to set everything up accordingly and in the space of three minutes, Harry had the alter assembled and all his tools at hand. What with having done this ritual every Christmas day for ten years, he was able to do everything swiftly and precisely, speaking the Elvish prayer without hesitation or mistake while his hands were busy creating the mixture of oils which would end up being very flammable and then lit at the end. Harry thought it was quite a fun way to pray. He was all for the everyday prayers which were simply kneeling and speaking but he quite liked the prayers for special occasions which required actually doing something/mixing something/lighting something on fire.

Once the small dish of mixed oils was completed, Harry reached to the side to take one of the Wizard match-sticks he kept for the sake of convenience. He gave the simple command for the match-stick to light and the small stick instantly gained a flame at the tip. With infinite care, Harry lowered the flame to the oil-filled dish and touched it lightly to the surface, just enough for the fire to catch and spread across the oil. Unexpectedly, when he did this, his surroundings darkened in the familiar way it did when he was about to have a vision:

()()()()()()()()()()()()

It was freezing cold and it was snowing which, common sense told Him, meant He was outside. He couldn't see that He was outside though, all He could see was the darkness.

Suddenly, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, the was a horrible bang, a lot like heavy wood colliding with something at a great speed. He stood from where he was kneeling and looked around slightly frantically. There was nothing in sight though.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

He lowered His head and closed His eyes while taking in a deep breath to calm Himself. Around him it was silent again and the snow continued to fall, frequently falling onto Him and chilling His skin. After a few moments, He opened His eyes again without raising his head and gasped at the sight of His hands; they were stained with thick trickles of some black and viscous substance.

Harry only just managed to keep hold of the still lit match between his fingers when he returned to reality and he quickly shook the flame out so that he didn't have to worry about it anymore. He stared down at the peacefully burning oil in the dish and wondered over the meaning of what he had just seen. Not that he had seen a lot though. The only thing that had meant anything to him in the entire scene had been the black stuff he had seen on his hands right at the end. There was no doubt in his mind that had been black rain on his hands what with the sound of rain around him throughout the whole thing as well. And if his experience was anything to go by, black rain meant Voldemort.

His shoulders sagged dejectedly as he stared sadly at the burning oil in front of him on the alter. How was he supposed to enjoy his Christmas Day/Nirhy with the worry of an up and coming Voldemort attack?

29th December 1993: Night

Harry's footsteps padded lightly on the carpeted floor as he slowly walked down the length of a corridor, his eyes down on the book he was holding in his hands. He appeared to be completely oblivious of his surroundings but it was obviously not the case when he stopped upon hearing a strange sound. Frowning lightly, he held his breath in order to try and identify the noise which, although remaining extremely quiet, was getting a little louder. With the cry of a cat, the dark haired young man quickly turned to look over his shoulder just in time to see Elincia come running around the last corner he had turned. For a few mere seconds, Harry simply assumed it was Draco's cat which had been making the noise, but then he saw the smaller form running in front of the white cat, running for its life.

A rat.

Could it possibly be Pettigrew? The Gryffindor's heart began to race a mile a minute as the two animals passed him by in a mere blink of an eye. He immediately turned to watch them go and then allowed a second to pass before he took off after them, running as fast as his legs could possibly allow him to go.

It was a completely mad dash, with Harry following the animals blindly, having no idea where they were actually going. He never quite managed to catch up to Elincia but he did a rather good job simply keeping up, always keeping her white form in sight, not once losing her. But then, suddenly, the cat made a long pounce, there was a terrified squeak from the rat no doubt and then all the running stopped.

Harry skidded to a halt as soon as he could and simply watched Elincia who was several feet ahead of him. Now that she had caught her prey and had a bit of a play, she was no longer interested in the rat and almost instantly got bored. The white cat wandered away in a rather nonchalant manner before walking off back down the corridor as though she hadn't just had a marathon of a run after a rat. As she left however, Harry approached and his heart felt as though it was in his throat as he approached the still form of the rat.

Upon reaching the creature, it soon became obvious to Harry that the creature was dead, (well anything with its guts spilling out from a rip in its stomach would have to be dead) and, although he felt acutely guilty for it, he had to admit he was glad. If the rat had simply been injured but on the way to dying, Harry would've had a dilemma. He could've healed the rat and run the risk of healing Pettigrew accidently or he could've left the rat and run the risk of abandoning an innocent creature to death. But it didn't matter either way because the rat was dead and just a little bit of the Gryffindor hoped that the creature was, indeed, Peter Pettigrew.

6th January 1993: Evening

Weeks had passed since Christmas Day and the night with the rat and the first day back at school after the new year had all but ended. And, much to Harry's worry, the vision he'd had on Christmas Day had not yet happened. It only confused him. Usually, when he had a vision, it came true within a matter of days afterwards, the most a week. He wondered if it was like the dreams he'd had the previous year about the Basilisk, where the detail built up over the months, but then he reasoned that those dreams had been more of a warning rather than a prediction of what was actually due to come. He wasn't sure why, but the vision he'd had on Christmas Day hadn't felt like a warning, it had felt like a prediction.

Now that school had started, Harry was finding himself very distracted by these thoughts and it had put him off his work all day. At that moment, in the evening, after dinner, Harry was in the DADA classroom with Professor Lupin, supposedly to learn how to defend himself against Dementors. But, of course, Harry was still struggling to concentrate so they weren't actually getting very far. In fact, they had just tried it and the teenager had barely managed to speak the incantation before he was on his knees feeling bitterly lonely. He couldn't concentrate on a happy memory when the worry of his vision was right at the front of his mind.

"All right, up you come, easy does it." Professor Lupin encouraged his student as he helped the teenager back onto his feet. "Don't feel bad, I didn't expect you to get it first time, that would've been incredible." He smiled as he brought out a bar of chocolate and handed the whole thing to Harry.

"I hate Dementors." Harry moaned slightly pathetically as he was released and allowed to sag against a nearby wall.

"Oh no Harry, that wasn't a Dementor, it was a boggart. You're not ready for the real thing yet." Lupin corrected as he moved over to sit on the edge of a desk. "Just out of curiosity, what memory did you decide on?"

"The first time I was reunited with my father after I'd defeated Voldemort." Harry answered truthfully; that was what he had been trying to focus on.

Professor Lupin frowned lightly. "That's odd, that should have been enough." He mused. "How was your concentration do you think?"

"It...Um...It could have been better I suppose." Harry mumbled, embarrassed, as he broke off a piece of chocolate and began to nibble on it carefully.

"I see. Anything you'd like to talk about?" The man offered kindly.

Harry glanced up at him for a second before allowing his gaze to fall again. He moved over to a desk and sat down on the seat in front of it carefully, the bar of chocolate resting on his lap and his hands folding just next to it. "Well, you see, well..." He stammered, not really knowing where to begin. "Um, do you know that I'm prone to the odd...Vision?" Calling them visions, it still felt so wrong to him.

"Yes, I had been made aware of it. All the teachers are, just in case something happens in class."

Oh great, that was so embarrassing, professors having to actually be warned when they joined the staff. "Well, you see, I had one on Christmas Day and usually, the ones that are more predicting than warning come true within about a week of me having it."

"And this one hasn't?" Lupin guessed.

Harry nodded, still not looking up. "It's probably nothing to worry about. I mean, it's not uncommon for years to pass before visions become realities..."

"But you're worried none-the-less." The worn man summarised, standing up and going over to the teenager. Harry nodded glumly, feeling a combination of embarrassment for worry over what was probably nothing, guilt for burdening the man with his problems and frustration with himself that he wasn't strong enough to keep it to himself and function normally. "Well, as much as I wish I could help and tell you it's all going to be fine, Divination has never been one of my strong points. Have to considered going to Professor Trelawney?"

"I, uh, I usually go to my High Priest in situations such as this." Harry told him quietly. "I only see him on Sundays during the school year though so I haven't seen him since before the Christmas holidays. I did think of writing to him about it but I didn't want to disrupt him or burden him like I am you at the moment." He explained glumly.

"You're not being a burden to me Harry." Lupin assured him with a gentle firmness. "I'm pleased you feel you can come to me for help, even if it turns out I can't offer a lot of help. Someone like you Harry, who is so special in so many different ways, can't be expected to handle everything on their own perfectly and that's why the people who care about you will always be happy to help you. I know for a fact your father would gladly give up everything if it would help you in any way. He's worried about you, you know? Even went so far as to asking me if I thought there was anything wrong this afternoon after classes."

"Really?" Harry asked, now feeling really guilty for making Severus worry.

Lupin nodded despite the fact Harry wasn't looking at him. "You haven't told him anything about your vision then?"

"I usually don't bother him with them, no." The teenager admitted, refusing to look anywhere near his teacher.

"Harry, do you have any idea how much that must worry him? Never knowing if there's something wrong with you or not?" The man asked with a small sigh, looking intently at the boy next to him. Harry said nothing. "I think you should tell him." He told the mature Gryffindor. "Even if he can't help you figure anything out or solve the problem completely, he can be there to support you and reassure you if ever you get scared or something. Who knows, he might even be able to bring himself to hug you." He grinned, thinking he was making a joke.

Harry finally looked at him finally and gave him an amused smile. "Actually, Father needs very little incentive to hug me, he's quite happy to for any little reason."

"You don't say?" Lupin chuckled lightly. "My, of all the people in the world to think of being like that, Severus Snape was the last one who would have come into my mind. He really has no qualms about that sort of thing?"

"Nope. Sometimes I think he needs the occasional cuddle more than me." Harry admitted with a light smile playing across his lips, turning to stare at the front of the classroom as he brought a hand up to rest his chin on.

"I'm also surprised you're still willing to provide. Johnathan's two years younger than you and he's been refusing his mother's attentions for a couple of years now." Professor Lupin smiled, joining Harry in looked across the room.

"Yes, well, why doesn't it shock me that Johnathan Potter of all people is like that?" Harry muttered.

"Not a fan of Johnathan's then, hmm?" The professor grinned, tilting his head slightly to look at the boy.

"The feeling's mutual I assure you. It's not as bad as it was the first year and a half. After what happened half way through last year, he's mostly left me alone. I think he's worried my fragile psyche is going to shatter beyond repair if he bugs me like he used to." The dark haired boy explained with a slight grin.

"Lily managed to get some sense into him then." Lupin mused, mostly to himself. Then, he gave a long sigh and stood up straight. "It's getting late, you should be getting back to the Tower before curfew."

"Alright." Harry agreed as he too stood and moved over to where he had settled his bag upon arrival. Scooping it up, he headed towards the classroom door. "Thank you for listening Professor." He smiled, turning to look at the kind man when he reached the door.

"You're welcome Harry. Good night." Lupin wished gently.

"Good night Professor." The small teenager returned before turning and walking out of the classroom, pulling the door shut behind him with a soft click.

4th February 1993: Afternoon

"A map?" Harry asked unsurely as he looked at what had been stretched across the length of Dumbledore's desk. It was once again time for his weekly lesson with Sephiran, only this time it had all started with getting him rather confused as the Elvish man had immediately rolled out a large map of the British Isles. "Why do we need a map?"

"A map," the High Priest answered easily. "Is necessary for today's lesson Haryon because we will be discussing the other Havanist communities."

Harry didn't really know what to say about that. He knew there were other communities beside the Community of Saint Gwenifwar but he had never really acknowledged them, so to speak. They had never been of any interest to him due to the fact they had never played a part in his life. Oh, sure, Sephiran often chatted to him about the decisions of the Council, (made up of all of the High Priestesses and Sephiran as he was currently the only High Priest in the world) but still, the Gryffindor had never really made a significant connection to them.

"Now," Sephiran started. "As you are aware, our community is here." He gestured to the correct position on the map. "And there are another two communities. Do you have any idea what they may be called?"

"Well, considering ours is named after Saint Gwenifwar, I'd assume that the other two are named after the other two saints; Saint Morcedai and Saint Nirhy." Harry guessed.

The High Priest smiled. "Correct. The Community of Saint Morcedai is here, in Northern Ireland," he gestured to the map accordingly. "And the Community of Saint Nirhy is here in Wales." Again, he gestured. "It is said that with the coming of each Messiah, a new community will be created, most probably somewhere in Scotland this time as that is the only part of the British Isles that is currently not home to a community."

"How will the Messiah be recognised?" Harry inquired curiously, having heard the prediction before but never knowing any real details about it. "I mean, there must be some kind of proof that they'll have otherwise the claim could be made by any random fraudster."

"There are several theories as to how the next Messiah will make themselves known. It has been suggested that it will be the first child born to a member of the Council. Another prediction is that it will be a complete unknown stranger who arrives at one of the communities at a time of great crisis. My High Priestess, the one who I was Apprenticed under, she was always adamant that we would all be nonethewiser until the Messiah had destroyed the world's evil." The Elf explained.

"How do you think it will happen?" The dark haired teenager inquired curiously, feeling that, for some reason, it was very important for him to be asking this question.

Sephiran was quiet for some time, though whether it was because he was thinking of what he was about to say or whatever was unclear. Finally, he answered, speaking very slowly, as though thinking about it before he said each word. "I think that High Priestess Ameryst was correct, I don't think we will know who the Messiah is until they have defeated the evil and I believe we will be able to identify them because their hair will have turned pure white, as did the hair of the Saints gone by, from the touch of our Great Lady. True, other Elders have dismissed that possibility as too fantastic and laughed at the idea that anyone, even the Messiah, is worthy enough to recieve the Goddess' touch, but I truly believe that is what will happen."

Silence settled then as Harry was left to digest that answer. It all sounded so important and fantastic and he found himself wishing, hoping, that the Messiah would come during his life time. Although to live to see such evil would be a terrible thing, to live through the Messiah's arrival and triumph would make up for it ten-thousand-fold.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

14th February 1994: Morning

For the first time in his life, Harry was getting Valentines cards and gifts from people he hardly knew. Usually, he got two gifts, one from Marcia and one from Rhys. Then, last year, he had received three from Marcia, Rhys and Draco. This year, not only had he got the usual gifts from them but he had also received them from several people who were either completely unknown to him or he only just knew. He sat in front of Fred and George at the Gryffindor table, trying to eat his breakfast and open the stack of cards which he had been brought that morning by his owl at the same time as ignoring the teasing of his two friends.

"What it is to be desired, eh George?" Fred grinned to his brother, knowing full well he was embarrassing their dark haired friend.

"Yeah, some blokes have all the luck. There Harry is, swamped with cards, and here we are with absolutely nothing." George sighed, putting on a sorrowful tone.

"It's not like I asked for any of these." Harry sighed back, pulling yet another envelope open. "And neither did I encourage anyone."

"Except maybe Violet Potter." Fred teased.

Harry glared at him. "Don't be gross, she's a kid."

"Try telling her that." George smirked.

"Anyway, I haven't seen her today so I doubt any of these I have left are from her." Harry reasoned, noting the name at the bottom of the card he had just opened. "Who's Seamus?"

"Seamus Finnegin? He's one of Ron's dorm mates." Fred answered as he plucked the card out of Harry's grip to look at it. "A bit forward isn't he?" He noted, reading the short message the Third Year boy had written inside.

"It's probably just a gag one," Harry mumbled as he moved onto yet another envelope. "No way anyone can be that forward with someone they barely know." As he spoke, he ran his finger along the top of the flap of the envelope, tearing it open neatly. He pulled the card inside the paper pouch out, glanced over the front briefly and then opened it only to unleash a cloud of red and pink hearts and have the theme song to the Muggle movie "The Bodyguard" blast out at him. That effectively caught the attention of everyone in the Great Hall and Harry quickly slammed the card shut, stopping the loud song but not dispelling the hearts. With his face flushed bright red, he glanced up at his two friends who were grinning at him like complete loons. "Is this from you two?" He muttered, already knowing the answer.

They both gave him identical nods, still grinning from ear to ear. "We made it ourselves." George told him proudly.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Harry grunted as he waved his hand around himself to get rid of the hearts which dispersed when they were impacted. He was acutely aware of the fact that a lot of people in the hall were still looking in their direction and he wished fervently that he could just disappear. "I'm rapidly learning to dislike this day."

"It's because you're famous." Fred explained. "And you're too nice not to like."

"The long hair's probably got something to do with it too." George added on.

"That's ridiculous." The dark haired boy muttered, unconsciously bringing his braid over his shoulder so it hung loosely against his chest.

"True though." Fred insisted.

"Just be glad you're only getting cards," George said.

"Or you'd get fat eating so many chocolates." Fred finished.

Harry simply sighed at that and opened another card. He looked inside it carefully, wary of another card like the one from the twins. Nothing happened though so he opened it completely in order to read what it said easily. "This one's got no name." He noted with a light frown before handing it over to the twins as he had with every other card before.

"Ooo, a secret admirer." George grinned.

"Either that or it's from Malfoy." Fred laughed.

"No, that's not Draco's handwriting." Harry disagreed, taking the card back and looking over it again. There, at the top, was his name, then there was the passage printed to the card and then there was the words "With great fondness" but then there was nothing. No name, not even a question mark or something. He gave a mental shrug and simply added it to the pile; it wasn't the first anonymous card he'd received that day. "I wonder where Draco is anyway." He murmured, glancing up to see that the blonde Slytherin still hadn't arrived to breakfast yet.

"Maybe all his gifts and cards toppled over and crushed him." Fred chuckled, earning small laughs from his brother and Harry.

"What's the ratio or Houses now?" George inquired idly next as he grabbed a piece of toast and reached for the butter at the same time.

"Six Gryffindor, two Ravenclaw, five Hufflepuff, four anonymous." Harry told them easily, apparently not even needing to think about it as he reached for his last envelope.

"Not a single Slytherin; shock horror." Fred joked easily.

"Unless all the anonymous ones are from Slytherins." George suggested.

"Oh yes, that's a possibility." Fred agreed before turning his attention back to Harry. "Who's that last one from?"

"Hermione." Harry said with a smile as he handed it over to the twins. He looked down the table to where the frizzy haired Third Year was sitting with Ron and Potter. She must have felt his eyes on her as she looked towards him. Their eyes met and Harry gave her a bright smile of thanks which made her blush slightly before quickly looking away. Harry smiled at that before turning back to his friends. "So make that seven Gryffindors now." He told them lightly.

"Eighteen cards and two gifts, not too bad at all." George commented lightly, no jealousy or anything in his tone.

"Do you think I should thank everyone who sent me something?" Harry asked with a light frown, obviously concerned to not appear ungrateful even if the attention wasn't completely welcome.

"You can if you see them but I wouldn't go out of my way to do anything." Fred advised. "Then it makes you seem like you're eager if you get what I mean."

Harry nodded slightly and was about to say something when next to him he noticed someone was standing there. He turned his head slightly and was a little surprised to see it was a Slytherin girl holding, what was most likely, a Valentines gift. She had long-ish, blonde hair and a rather ugly face, not that Harry felt he was one to judge, and one felt that their eyes were instantly drawn towards the pug-nose.

"Yes?" He asked kindly, not wanting this to turn into a scene despite the fact several people were already looking in their direction.

"You're friends with Draco Malfoy, right?" The girl asked, her tone hard and slightly sneering. Harry only nodded. "Give this to him when you can." She ordered, holding out the gift to him.

Harry looked at the gift for a moment before looking back up to her face. "Why can't you give it to him?"

"That's none of your bloody business." The girl glared at him. "Now take it and give it to Draco the next time you see him."

A soft sigh passed Harry's lips and he gently took the gift from the girl. She didn't really deserve his help but he was a Havanist Priest and he had promised that he would help anyone who ever asked. The girl seemed pleased with the fact he had taken it, despite the fact he was obviously reluctant to help. Without further word, either of thanks of departure, she turned and left, heading back over to the Slytherin table.

"Pure-blood with an attitude problem." George commented as though it needed to be said.

"Why can't more pure-bloods be like us?" Fred sighed wistfully.

"Cedric Diggory's nice." George pointed out.

"Yes, that's true. Still, us and one other out of the whole school is hardly something to shout about."

The conversation continued on like that for a while longer as Harry put the present for Draco in his bag and finished off his breakfast quickly before he had to go to his first lesson of the day.

14th February 1994: Midday

Lunch time had arrived and for Harry, it was a lunch time spent alone. Straight after eating, Fred and George had headed off for their detention with Professor McGonagall for intentionally flooding every single bathroom in and surrounding Gryffindor Tower. They claimed it had been worth it if only because they managed to soak Potter who had been in one at the time. So, it was now nearing the end of the lunch break and Harry was sitting alone in the library rather than outside as it was February and it wasn't really warm enough to sit outside, writing an essay for Transfigurations which was due in at the beginning of the next week. He was struggling to concentrate on it though, not for any particular reason other than it was an incredibly boring topic. Luckily, he was near the end, only a paragraph or two more left to go he reckoned.

"All alone Harry?" Draco's voice suddenly came behind him and Harry looked up and turned to see his best friend standing just behind him. It was odd how he had never heard him coming up behind him. "I would've thought you'd have swarms of admirers around you considering all the cards you got this morning." The Slytherin said in a tone which was far too casual as he casually draped himself over the chair next to Harry's.

"Fred and George are in detention." Harry explained as he turned back to his essay, dipping his quill in his ink, intending to finish off his last sentence before focusing on Draco completely. "As for being swarmed with admirers, I think that's a slight exaggeration, don't you? Anyway, how do you know about my cards? You weren't at breakfast."

"Bethany told me." Draco said simply.

"I'm surprised she was paying the least bit of attention." The dark haired boy murmured as he read over his sentence before blowing on it gently.

"She was if only so she could point out to me just how many admirers you have." The blonde muttered.

Harry was very tempted to ask why she would do something like that but he refrained from doing so for fear of what the answer might be. Instead, he leaned to his left and reached out to lift his bag. "Speaking of admirers," he said playfully as he sat back up straight and opened his bag. "Some girl gave me this at breakfast and asked me to give it to you when I next saw you." With that, he pulled out the present from the Slytherin girl and nudged it across the table so it was closer to Draco.

"What did this girl look like?" The Slytherin asked, eyeing the present distastefully.

"Erm, she was Slytherin, I don't think she was in our Year, she looked younger. Blonde hair up to here," he signalled the length against himself, "and, um, not the most attractive person to have ever lived."

Draco gave an almost disgusted grunt. "Then she can just have it back when I see her next." He muttered as he took the gift and carelessly shoved it into his own bag. "I've told her countless times that I'm not interested in her. Just because I let her blow me off..."

"Draco!" Harry cried, aghast.

"What?" He replied innocently.

"That girl couldn't have been any older than thirteen and you let her do that to you!"

Draco shrugged. "She offered."

"And as the older one you should have had the sense to turn her down." Harry said primly.

"Oh c'mon Harry, it's not like I shagged her! And even if I did it would be no big deal, I was younger than she is when I lost my virginity."

"Yes, and I remember all too clearly how well you took that." The dark haired boy reminded with a pointed look. "If you must sleep around like you do, can't you be a bit more responsible about it?"

"I am responsible about it. I always use the suitable protection charms and I make no secret that I'm looking for nothing but release. It's not my fault if people are too pathetic to deal with that." Draco answered easily.

Harry looked at him, completely shocked at his best friend's nonchalant attitude, before he shook his head a little and gave a slightly rueful laugh. "You, Draco Malfoy, are an extremely cruel person."

"I don't deny that." The blonde shrugged before smiling to his friend. "Now, isn't it about time that you gave me something, hmm?" He asked with a mock innocence.

Harry grinned at him before going back into his bag and bringing out the small bag of chocolate he had made the previous night. "Happy Valentines Day Draco." He wished with a smile, holding the package out in the palm of his hand. Draco accepted the present and, before he could retract it, grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him forwards sharply. Harry's mouth opened to give a small yelp of surprise but the sound never managed to escape before he found his lips firmly pressed to Draco.

His head swam, his heart pounded and his muscles turned to jelly. He was kissing Draco! His best friend since the day he was born; he was kissing him. Or was it the other way around? Not that it really mattered as Harry wasn't exactly trying to stop it. In fact, his eyes had closed and he had leaned in closer. His first kiss and it was with Draco and oh, what a wonderful kiss it was. All soft and warm and full of affection, not only from the kiss itself but from the hand which cupped the back of his neck and the gentle caress of the finger-tips against his left cheek. And it felt right. It wasn't strange or awkward, it felt more like he should be kicking himself and demanding why they hadn't done this before.

Slowly, the lips pressed against his own retreated and Harry blinked his eyes open carefully, trying to clear the fuzziness which greeted him at first. That had been unexpected. Not unwelcome, but definitely unexpected. Despite the fact they were no longer kissing, they hadn't completely separated and Draco's hand was still on the back of his neck and the fingers of his other hand were still lightly pressed against his cheek. Harry's mouth opened and closed a couple of times as he tried to find his voice but still nothing had come out before Draco had removed his hands and stood up.

"I'll meet you after dinner, we'll spend some time together." Draco smiled to him gently as he stood. Harry still couldn't reply as he mutely watched Draco pick up his bag and leave the library.

For another few seconds after the blonde Slytherin had disappeared, Harry continued to stare after him, his fingers coming up to lightly brush across his recently kissed lips. So that was what kissing was like? He could definitely see why people seemed to like it now. And, apparently, everyone had picked up on Draco's feelings for him long before Harry had figured it out. Or was Draco just playing with him? He had a lot of experience after all...No, how could he even think like that! Draco was his best friend and he liked to think that the blonde wouldn't treat him like that because of their friendship. No, Draco must have feelings for him, it was the only real explanation.

That made Harry feel awfully giddy and a huge grin spread across his face and he fought down the desire to laugh happily. Somewhere in his head, where he was still thinking logically, he thought that his next class must be starting soon. So, he gathered his work and his books and stuffed them into his bag before standing and heading out of the library, his grin never leaving his face the entire time.

14th February 1994: Evening

"Harry!" Fred practically yelled in the dark haired boy's ear.

"Ow!" Harry cried at the sting deep inside which resulted from the loud sound only centimetres away from him. "Do you mind! As much as it might surprise you to know, I actually enjoy being able to hear out of both ears!"

"Oh, so you haven't gone deaf!" George gasped as though that was some great surprise.

"Could've fooled us the amount of attention you've been paying to anything this afternoon. I just said your name, like, fifty times." Fred told him, his tone exasperated.

Harry frowned lightly. That was a complete exaggeration. Yes, he could admit that he had been a little distracted but in his opinion, he had a right to be! His life had been practically turned upside down at lunch time, what with Draco kissing him like he had. Not that he regretted it or wished it hadn't happened, it was just a lot to get his head around, not to mention to number of questions it brought to his mind. For instance, did this mean that he and Draco were a couple now? Or was it more like a "friends with benefits" kinda thing? Because if it was the latter, Harry had something to say about that. The idea of a relationship with Draco wasn't a terrible idea though. In fact, it was a rather good idea. He'd prefer to learn about the mechanics of relationships with someone he loved and trusted rather than a complete stranger. And then there was also all the possibilities of what was going to come of their meeting after dinner swirling around his head, making him wonder of several different scenarios, some of which caused a pool of heat to spread throughout...

"Harry!" George did yell along with punching Harry none too gently in the arm.

"Oi, stop it!" Harry protested with a frown, turning to glare at the two ginger boys. "What is it?" He snapped irritably.

"Dinner's over, we've gotta go." Fred pointed out, his tone emphasising just how obvious the people moving around them actually was.

Dinner was over! That meant...

"Oh erm, okay." Harry stammered slightly nervously, glancing around himself to see if he could spot Draco.

"Are you all right mate?" George asked, now clearly concerned. "You're not acting like yourself."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, it's just...Well, I, uh, I'm supposed to be meeting Draco now..." The dark haired boy told them awkwardly, a bright blush lighting his cheeks.

"And the mystery is solved!" Fred declared, no small amount of relief evident in his tone.

"Meeting Malfoy on Valentines night? Gee, I wonder why?" George teased him with a grin which only grew wider when Harry made no other reply other than to bow his head and his face to turn a couple shades darker. "We'll leave ya to it then mate." He assured, still grinning like a loon as he stood and patted Harry's shoulder a couple of times.

"We'll be waiting for you to come and tell us everything that happened." Fred murmured quietly, a mischievous glint sparkling in his eyes.

"And we do mean everything." George added quickly afterwards.

The twins both laughed again before chorusing a goodbye and heading out of the Great Hall. Harry let them go without a word, concentrating on trying to get his face to cool down before Draco could find him and see his brightly lit face. He shut his eyes and took in a couple of deep, soothing breaths before standing and opening his eyes at the same time. Just as he was about to turn around in order to step over the bench, he was rather surprised to see Violet was standing just to the side of him, her hands behind her back and her eyes staring intently at her shoes. Instantly, any less-than-innocent thoughts he had been entertaining about what was awaiting him this evening vanished and were replaced with nice, fluffy, big-brother thoughts.

"Hi Violet." He greeted her with a friendly smile. "Haven't seen much of you today."

"No, no, you haven't. I haven't seen you either which is why I, uh, um..." The First Year stammered terribly, not looking up, obviously very flustered about something.

"Everything okay?" Harry asked her carefully.

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine. I just...Uh, well, you see...There wasn't really any way for me to get to a store to buy you anything but I thought that maybe you might appreciate something a little more, uh, useful than a card, so I, um, I'm sorry it's not wrapped or anything but I...I made this for you." She got out in a rush, bringing a neatly folded, bright red scarf and woolly hat out from behind her back. "Happy Valentines Day." She managed to get out without stuttering but it did come out very loud and quite quickly.

Harry looked at the pile of knitted wool in surprise for a second before a small smile spread across his lips. He accepted the gifts carefully and looked them over in awe. "Wow, these are really well made. I didn't know you could knit." He praised her.

She instantly looked up at him upon hearing that, a pleased smile lighting up her face. "You really like it?"

"Yes, they're lovely and it's nice to get something other than another card." He assured her. "By far the best thing I've got today, thank you." And with that, he leaned down and pecked a quick kiss on her cheek.

If it were possible, the young girl's eyes lit up even more and her jaw dropped. She stared up at Harry as he drew back, one of her hands coming up to cover the cheek which had just been kissed. Harry tried hard not to laugh at the expression on his sister's face and instead just smiled right back at her, pleased that his "gift" to her seemed to be just as appreciated as a bag of chocolate would've probably have been. Then, just behind Violet, Harry saw Draco approaching and it didn't take a genius to realise that the blonde Slytherin was not happy. The smile fell from Harry's face almost immediately as he caught sight of the silver eyes which were narrowed in a dangerous glare at the back of his little sister's head.

"Sorry Violet, I've gotta go. I'll see you later though, kay?" He said quickly, patting her shoulder a few times as he moved around her and quickly hurried over to his on-coming best friend. "Draco, pause a moment and think about this okay?" He began to say to the blonde but instantly snapped his jaw shut when Draco wordlessly grabbed his right arm rather roughly and began to pull him towards the doors out of the Great Hall. Harry struggled slightly to keep up with him but spared a glance back at where Violet was watching him go, looking quite worried. It probably wouldn't be a great idea to call a warning out to her so he remained silent, hoping that the girl wouldn't do something like find a professor or even go after them herself.

Luckily, the youngest Potter didn't seem to be in any hurry to "help" him so when Harry was yanked rather sharply into the first empty classroom they came across, he felt at ease in the fact that he was pretty certain that whatever it was that was about to happen wouldn't be interrupted. Of course, considering the way Draco was glaring at him or the way he was currently pinned roughly up against a wall, an interruption might actually be rather welcome.

Harry expected for Draco to demand an explanation from him or at least rant and rave for a little while before finally letting him go. So, when Draco pressed his body against Harry's fully, so not even a centimetre of air separated them, and crashed his lips down on those of the dark haired boy, Harry was more than a little shocked. He didn't try to fight it and he didn't struggle, he just returned the kiss as well as he could, struggling slightly to mimic Draco's style and experience but doing a fairly good job. When the tongue entered his mouth for the first time, Harry tried his best to take it in his stride and not tense up. He actually did quite well at that, considering it was his first time and it happened without warning.

That heated, desperate kiss filled with possession and desire lasted for countless minutes, draining Harry's oxygen and making his body hum with the pleasure of it all. He wasn't going to complain about it in the least. After all, kissing Draco Malfoy was no hardship. However, when he felt hands which weren't his own begin to unbuckle the belt of his trousers, he felt it was time to draw the line and calm things down.

"Draco..." Harry gasped, breaking his lips away from the blonde's. "Draco, I don't think we should..." His sentence was cut off when his lips were once again stolen in a heated kiss. For several seconds, he forgot to think and he just reacted, kissing the Slytherin back with equal enthusiasm. The hands made themselves all too known again though as they actually slipped under the waist band of his trousers. "No, Draco, stop." He breathed, breaking their kiss again and pushing against his friend's shoulders with the hand which wasn't still holding his gift from Violet.

With a swift jerk and an impressive display of speed which Harry probably would've admired if the situation had been different, Harry's wrists had been seized and held above his head so they were no longer an issue, the knitted hat and scarf falling loose in the process, settling on the floor by their feet. At the back of his mind that wasn't fogged with arousal or anxiety, Harry wondered when exactly Draco had got so strong. "You're mine Harry, you should know that." The blonde hissed into his ear as his free hand went back to occupying itself under Harry's belt. "But it seems you need a little reminder." And with that, Harry gave a loud moan and pressed his head back against the wall as long fingers wrapped around his erection.

Having never taken a Vow of Chastity, he had experienced the pleasure his own body could give him before. However, that pleasure seemed to pale in comparison to what Draco was doing to him that moment. He wasn't even completely sure if this was just a hand-job he was getting, it felt so much better than what he usually did to himself. Absently, he wondered if that maybe meant he did it wrong but that thought vanished with a particularly sharp spark of pleasure which had him choking on his own breath.

With great difficulty, Harry managed to convince his eyes to open so he could look at Draco and he was instantly captivated at the sight. The blonde's eyes were now a shocking shade of silver and looked as though they were practically glowing. They were staring at him with such an intensity but there was also a clear, deep affection in them as well making Harry feel like he was the only person on the planet who mattered and it was a feeling he adored. Another jolt of pleasure ran through him and he breathed out a soft, "Draco" as he leaned forward. His arms were released then and he instantly wrapped them around the blonde's shoulders, using them as a pillow for his own head.

"You're so beautiful like this Harry." Draco whispered to him softly, the movement of his hand on Harry's erection never faltering, remaining steady and smooth. "I've wanted this for so long, wanted you. Every time I was fucking someone else, it was actually you. It was you writhing underneath me, it was you looking up at me with those green eyes of yours. Green eyes that haunt me always; always there, always watching..."

Harry moaned at those words and buried his face a little closer to Draco's neck. A part of himself was disgusted with himself for being positively influenced by such crude words but another part was delighting in it. He'd never felt like this before, so wanton and free. Everything combined together into one big delicious sensation which pushed him ever closer to the edge. His breathing was coming out in harsh pants now and he clung to Draco desperately, his weak, shaking knees unable to fully support him on his own. His right hand was carded through the silky strands of blonde hair, lightly clenched, as his left hand fisted the sleeve of Draco's robe.

"Uhh, Draco...I think...I'm...I..." Harry tried warn.

"Good, that's what I want Harry. I want you to come in my hand, I want you to remember that this is something only I can do for you. No one else can love you like I can and I do Harry; I love you so much." Draco cooed breathlessly, increasing the pace of his hand.

Harry's hips began to jerk forwards with the movement of Draco's hand of their own accord as he drew closer and closer to his orgasm. He felt like he was on fire, every single nerve ending had turned red hot and it all just served as a reminder of what was happening which pushed him ever closer. And then suddenly it all got too much for him and he went tumbling over the edge. A low cry tore itself out of his throat as he released his seed over Draco's hand and his underwear. He humped helplessly into the pale hand which continued to pump him gently but firmly, each stroke wringing a spasm from his body and causing his breathing to hitch. Very little noise left the dark haired teenager as he was too practised at keeping silent during orgasms but he continued to thrust into Draco's fist until he had drained the very last bit of pleasure he could.

The hand inside his trousers retreated just has Harry lifted his head to look up at Draco's face. Shining, silver eyes stared at him intently and a small, seductive and totally arrogant smirk curved the blonde's lips and they slowly parted to allow him to slide a semen-covered finger into his mouth. Harry's jaw dropped at the sight and his eyes drifted shut as his head lulled back. Suddenly, the arm Draco had around him, keeping him on his feet, was gone and so Harry slid bonelessly down the wall into a human puddle on the floor. Not that he cared. He was too sated and relaxed to care about a little thing like staying on his feet.

"Oh Merlin, Harry!" Draco's voice suddenly gasped, sounding completely horrified. "I-I didn't mean to do this so quickly! But I just...I saw you with her and I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I heard you saying no, but I couldn't stop, I couldn't...Oh Merlin, please don't hate me!" He rushed, dropping to his knees so he and the still dazed boy were on the same level.

Harry lifted his head a little and blinked his eyes open to get his sight back into focus before looking up at Draco's panicked expression. The blonde seemed tense, as though he wanted nothing more than touch him but was holding himself back just in case he wasn't wanted. A small, dopey grin spread across the dark haired teenager's lips and he held his arms out to the blonde. "Aren't you supposed to cuddle me after something like that?" He asked with a slight, relaxed slur to his voice.

That was all the encouragement that Draco obviously needed as in a second Harry was in his arms, his head pillowed on the blonde's shoulder and the arms around him supporting most of his weight. He gave a happy sigh and buried his face against the pale neck right in front on him, draping his arms loosely over his shoulders. This was wonderful: he felt wonderful; Draco felt wonderful; the whole situation was just wonderful and, once again, he found himself asking why they had never done this before. But then, he realised, perhaps he wouldn't have been ready before as he thought about what his reaction might have been at the same time last year; he had to admit he didn't think he'd have taken it so well back then. He felt so completely comfortable at that moment though, especially since Draco had cast a cleaning charm at some point so he no longer had the cooling result of his orgasm coating the inside of his underwear.

"What made you decide I was ready?" Harry murmured against the smooth neck, remembering what Draco had told him a few months before about the person he was in love with; this was more than sufficient proof that he was that person.

"It wasn't really one thing in particular, more like a lot of little things which have stretched on for a while." The blonde answered quietly, as though speaking louder would destroy the moment they had found themselves in together.

"So, uh, what are we now?" The Gryffindor asked slightly awkwardly, closing his eyes as though doing so would help lessen his embarrassment and anxiety. "I mean, are we more than just friends?"

"I would've thought that didn't have to be asked." Draco mumbled into Harry's dishevelled hair, one of his hands coming up to lace through the loosened, thick strands.

"Well, yeah, but I mean, what am I supposed to call you? My boyfriend?"

"Ugh, Merlin no! That term's so...Muggle." The Slytherin said with a distasteful wrinkling of his nose.

Harry smiled lightly at his reaction. "Well what am I supposed to refer to you as?"

"Maybe...You shouldn't refer to me as anything, for now." Draco told him quietly causing Harry draw back slightly in order to look at him in confusion, the pale hand that had been in his hair dropping as he moved.

"You don't want people to know about...Us?" He asked curiously.

"I'd prefer to keep it between us for a little while, so we can get our bearings and settle with each other without having to worry about the opinions of others." The blonde explained and it didn't need to be said that he was worried about the reaction of Severus to their new, more intimate relationship. The plan to get Harry to fall in love with him completely before telling the Potions Master wasn't spoken but it was clear.

"All right, if that's what you want." Harry agreed, lowering moving forward again and moulding his body into the comfortable position it had been in before.

"You don't mind?" Draco checked carefully, bringing his hand back up to run through the long strands of loose, dark hair.

"No, I see no real need to tell everyone straight away and I quite like the idea of putting off letting Father know to tell you the truth."

Draco hummed in acknowledgement more than anything and he stiffened his lips in a kiss on top of Harry's head. For a long moment they were both silent until Draco tensed and Harry knew he was about to speak. "Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm so sorry I didn't wait for you."

Harry knew exactly what the blonde was referring to and he smiled slightly wistfully. "I forgive you." He murmured quietly, closing his eyes and bringing a hand up to lightly grip the edge of Draco's robe. Another kiss was pressed to the top of his head then but nothing more was said.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

25th March 1994: Midday

Harry was happy. He was really, really happy. He hadn't had a vision since Christmas, his school work was going well including his extra studies with Sephiran and his lessons on casting the Patronus charm with Professor Lupin, his friendship with Violet was going from strength to strength, his friendship with Fred and George was still as strong as ever and his new relationship with Draco was wonderful. Everything was as it should be with Severus and he had even seen Lucius that morning upon arriving to Potions a few minutes early. Yes, things were as good as they possibly could be which was why it was only a matter of time before everything either started to crumble or just collapsed all at once.

Fate had decided the happiness wouldn't last any longer and went about shattering it in the most painful way. The events which would stretch throughout the rest of the day were triggered by one innocently spoken sentence from one George Weasley near the beginning of lunch time: "We'll have yet another copy of our family tree by the end of the day seeing as Ron's History of Magic class probably just did them."

Harry instantly choked on the juice in his mouth and he began to cough rather violently. Fred and George both turned to stare at him in surprise. When the worst of his coughing had passed, Harry forced himself to speak, still sounding rather strangled: "They're doing that today?"

"Yeah, all the Third Years are doing it this week." Fred told him, his tone confused.

Harry stared at him with wide, horrified eyes. If Ron's class was doing it today then that meant Johnathan Potter was doing it today. And if Johnathan Potter was doing it today, then he would find out that they're related today and if he found out they were related then he would KNOW that they're related. He'd tell Violet, he'd tell Lily and James, he'd tell Severus...

"Shit!" Harry gasped as he leapt up from the table, totally ignoring the fact he jolted it and sent several goblets of pumpkin juice tipping over, and dashed out of the Great Hall like a swarm of Dementors was chasing him.

He ignored Fred and George's calls after him, he ignored the fact that practically the entire school had seen him bolt from the Great Hall like a scared rabbit, it didn't even occur to him that both Severus and Draco had been in the Great Hall and had no doubt seen him leave as he did and would be worried. No, the only thing on his mind was getting to his dorm room and hiding in there for the next five hundred years. Screw Voldemort, let him have the world because there was no way Harry was ever going to show his face again. Everyone would know he was a Potter, he'd be rejected by his father, his godfather and Draco, he'd lose everyone because they'd hate him for lying to them, he'd have nothing left to live for so he'd stay in bed where he would at least not have to face them on a daily basis.

"Harry duck!" Hermione's voice suddenly screamed behind him and he didn't even stop to think about it before he'd fallen to his knees, leaning forward and covering his head with his arms. He heard the shattering stone as the spell intending for him shot over him and hit the wall at the end of the corridor instead. Seconds later, he had lifted his head and looked over his shoulder only to come up with a very up close and personal view of Potter.

With almost identical cries from the two brothers, Potter pounced onto Harry, sending them both falling back to the floor, Harry receiving a rather painful bump on the back of his head in the process. He screwed his eyes shut at the pain and kept them shut when he felt a sharp fist connect with the side of his face. He winced, idly thinking that was probably going to bruise quite badly.

"Why the fuck did you do it?" Potter yelled above him angrily, his hands pinning Harry's arms down roughly so that the older boy couldn't defend himself. Not that Harry would've if he could've; he was a pacifist after all. "What the fuck was the point? It doesn't do anything except piss people off and hurt them!"

"John, get off him!" Hermione cried as she ran up to them and began to pull on the boy's shoulder, trying to force him off.

"Tell me Snape, why did you do it? Is it just some sort of sick, fucked up joke?" John demanded, totally ignoring Hermione.

Harry opened his eyes and stared up at the furious face of his younger brother. The boy's face was bright red and his brown eyes narrowed into a poisonous glare. The older boy released a small sigh. "I didn't do anything to your parchment." He said quietly.

"You fucking liar!" Potter practically screamed, punching Harry right on the nose this time. Harry made no sound and did nothing more but wince at the blow but Hermione cried out and once again began to yank her friend off of him.

And then suddenly, Potter was off of Harry with a lot of screaming and protesting. In the space of a second, Hermione was at Harry's side dabbing a handkerchief to his nose gently and it was then that Harry realised that last punch had made it bleed. He sat up slightly gingerly and tried to wave Hermione's fussing off as he slowly opened his eyes, which was something that was a lot harder to do than it should've been. Ahead of him, he saw, and heard, Potter struggling against Percy Weasley of all people who had been the one to pull him off and behind them he saw Ron dashing off down the corridor, back towards the Great Hall. Then, he turned to Hermione who was still trying to dab at his bloody nose.

"Hermione, stop, it's okay, stop fussing." He insisted, gently taking her hands and placing them into her lap.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. I tried to get him to listen to reason but he wouldn't, he was just so intent on finding you and getting you to admit that it's all a trick." She said to him in a sad whisper. "I think, perhaps, on some level he's always known, that's why he's taking it the way he is."

"Let me go!" John yelled at the top of his voice, violently struggling against Percy's hold before looking back to where Harry and Hermione were getting onto their feet. "You helped him didn't you? You helped him set this whole thing!" He accused Hermione angrily. "That's why you're so fucking concerned about him! Some loyal friend you are!"

"This isn't a joke Potter!" Harry yelled, starting to lose his temper upon seeing Hermione was almost in tears. "And if you would stop acting like such a bloody child for just one second, maybe you could think for long enough to realise this isn't my fault and so beating me up will not help!"

"You fucking bastard!" The Third Year boy yelled, his suddenly increased fury obviously providing a burst of strength as he succeeded in wrenching himself away from Percy.

Potter practically leapt at Harry again and they went tumbling onto the hard ground, the back of Harry's head once again getting a nasty smack on the stone. Luckily, Potter was an inexperienced Third Year and was therefore not the most coordinated fighter nor was he the strongest. However, he did manage to get in another few good punches to Harry's face before he was once again yanked off of him. While the younger boy was being pulled away, he managed to get a rather hard kick into Harry's gut which caused a surprising amount of pain.

"What on Earth is going on here?" That was Professor Lupin's voice!

Harry forced his eyes open again and saw that it was the fuzzy DADA professor now holding Potter back, (he must have lost his glasses at some point). Violet had arrived as well and was now teamed up with Hermione trying to "take care" of him. Harry allowed them to help him to his feet though the pain in his stomach meant that it hurt to stand completely straight so he was stooped slightly, one arm holding himself around the waist.

"John, calm down right now!" Lupin ordered the boy in his arms sternly and Potter stopped the violent thrashing he had been doing before but he didn't stop struggling all together.

"Let me go Remus! Stop protecting him, he doesn't deserve it!" Potter yelled, glaring daggers at where Harry was standing with the support of Violet and Hermione. "He's a lying piece of shit..."

"Watch your tongue young man!" Lupin barked instantly and it occurred to Harry that he had never seen the usually gentle professor so angry before.

"He deserves it! He's scum, complete scum! Tell him what you did!" The boy ordered, his voice starting to waver as though he was about to cry.

All eyes were suddenly on Harry and he refused to look at any of them. He couldn't bring himself to. Luckily, running footsteps suddenly interrupted everything and they all turned to see who it was that was coming. Harry felt like bursting into tears upon seeing the crowd that was heading their way: Draco; Severus; Fred and George; Ron; Dumbledore and McGonagall. All had obviously caught sight of him as they all wore varying expressions of anger. It was also then that he noticed that they had attracted the attention of quite a large chunk of the student population as well who had all gathered around in order to see what was going on.

"What happened?" McGonagall asked sharply as Draco and Severus wordlessly headed straight over to Harry.

"Johnathan was taking no small amount of anger out on Harry." Lupin answered darkly as Hermione and Violet stepped away from Harry in order to allow Draco and Severus to tend to him. "I don't know why though."

"Because he's a worthless animal!" Draco retorted angrily as he stepped in front of Harry protectively as Severus held his son in his arms and began to gently look over the damage on his face.

"You think I started this!" Potter yelled, starting his struggling again. "You think I gave him what he deserves without provocation?"

"Johnathan, are you telling us that Harry started this?" Dumbledore asked him calmly but there was a very dangerous edge to the elderly wizard's voice.

"Yes, he did! He had this coming to him the second he charmed my Blood-Line parchment!"

All eyes back on Harry and he dropped his gaze to the floor. "I've done nothing." He told them all quietly, clenching his eyes shut tightly and clutching at his father's robes.

"What, exactly, are you accusing Haryon of doing Mr Potter?" McGonagall questioned, sounding rather angry herself.

"That bastard charmed by parchment to say that he's my brother!"

And for Harry, that's when everything stopped. He fought back the tears which threatened to fall and he used all his strength to keep himself up on his feet. His rushing blood was all he could hear in his ears as a deafening silence rang around them. He didn't know what was going on around him, if anything was, but he did know when the arms of his father left him. The tears started to slip from his eyes silently as another's arm came around his shoulders and gently coaxed him to turn around and walk forward. The scent of the person wasn't really that familiar and he wasn't that much taller than him so that ruled out practically everyone he would wish had their arm around him. He guessed it was most probably Percy. Everyone else probably hated him so much that they didn't care anymore now.

As he was led away, the tears continued to fall and he was thankful for the fact that his braid had come loose so that his hair hid his face from everyone else. He kept his eyes shut still, trusting whoever it was beside him to lead the way safely, or not, it didn't really matter to him anymore. That's why he kept his eyes shut and that's why he never wanted to open them ever again.

25th March 1994: Afternoon

He wasn't sure how long he just lay there for. Once Percy had dropped him off and Madam Pomfrey had fixed him up to the best of her ability, Harry had just curled up on his side, his eyes still closed, and then just stayed there. In his opinion, there was no need to do anything else. Doing anything else would probably hurt as well. His ribs were still a little sore from where he had been kicked and his head was pounding from where it had been knocked so many times. He had a bandage around it which had a charm to keep the area where his bump was cold all the time but it didn't help with the dull, throbbing pain much. Curiously, the school nurse hadn't asked him any questions that weren't related to what hurt where. Not that he was complaining, it was just something odd he'd noticed.

Idly, he wondered what the adults and his friends were doing at that moment. After he'd had time to think about it, he figured the teenagers had probably been kept behind in order to be questioned. After all, they were the ones who were closest to both him and Potter so if anyone was going to know anything, it would be them. Well, in theory anyway, obviously not in practice as he and Hermione had been the only ones who had known. That had no doubt changed now; whole bloody school most likely knew.

It had all come out in such a horrible, big mess. He had realised that the time was coming where he'd have to start telling people what with the Third Years coming up to the time when they'd be doing the Blood-Line parchment exercise but he had obviously lost track of time as it had all so suddenly appeared and surprised him. He hadn't been able to control the situation and so it had completely blown up. Everyone had found out through angry yells and over-the-top accusations instead of a few finding out at a time in calm, private conversations held behind locked doors. That's how things should have been.

In his curled position, he held his pendant in his right hand tightly and prayed as hard as he could. He begged for things to turn out all right, he wished for the least amount of damage to occur as possible and he pleaded that he wouldn't be left alone again, in the cold, without a soul around to love him. Everything he asked for was selfish, all concerned with him and his relationships, but that meant nothing to him. He didn't care about the Potters, they had brought this on themselves, if they fell to bits over this then good, that would suit him just fine, just as long as his own family was strong enough to get through it.

Suddenly, when a gentle hand rested on his shoulder, the hurried movements of Harry's lips stilled in an instant. It was definitely a male hand which meant that it was someone he had to talk to. But he was afraid to because this would be the moment of truth. This was the moment which could either save him or destroy him. He couldn't do it; he wasn't strong enough. He ignored the hand as it shook him gently, he didn't bother to fight it when it moved to his face and he stubbornly kept his eyes shut when his head was lightly rolled to the side so he was looking up. However, when he felt the familiar, warm, soft lips of Draco cover his in a sweet kiss, he couldn't hold back the tears of relief. They slid out the corners of his eyes as the small kiss continued and then when it ended, a sob escaped him.

"Sshh, it's all right." Draco whispered to him gently as he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and pulled him closer to himself. "Everything's going to be all right."

"Everything's such a mess!" Harry sobbed against Draco, clinging to him tightly.

"True, but we'll sort it out, we all will." The blonde assured him before pressing a kiss onto the top of Harry's head. "And we have to start now; Professor Dumbledore wants you to join him in his office."

"No!" Harry protested instantly, curling into himself a little more.

"Harry..."

"No Draco, I don't want to, I can't, please don't make me." Harry whispered brokenly.

"You know if I had my way I'd take you away from all of this and keep you safe from everything painful forever darling. But this isn't in my control and it needs to be sorted out. I'll come in with you, okay? I'll stay with you and you can hold my hand." Draco told him softly, his lips lightly brushing against the top of Harry's hair as his right hand constantly ran through his hair.

"Does Father hate me?" Harry asked in a whisper. If Severus didn't hate him then he felt he just might be able to face what was coming up.

"Of course he doesn't." Draco reassured as he began to shift forwards, obviously starting the process of getting off the bed and getting to the Headmaster's office. "He hates Potter even more than he did before if that's possible but he doesn't hate you. You were a Potter for less than six hours, you're nothing like them. Now c'mon," he encouraged as he stood and gently pulled Harry up from the bed. "If we don't get there soon we might find that Sev and Father have disposed of the Potters."

"Uncle Lucius is here?" Harry asked as he stood and Draco's arm came around his shoulders almost instantly.

"Of course he is. Sev wasn't going to handle this on his own so he asked me to fire-call Father as soon as Dumbledore and McGonagall were satisfied that I didn't know anything." Draco explained as they began to make their way out. "You're pretty good at keeping secrets but I'll save asking questions for when we're with everyone else. I doubt you much feel like going through things more than once."

Harry gave a small hum of acknowledgement and leaned into Draco's warm body as they walked. He turned his head and rested his cheek against the blonde's chest, letting his eyes drift shut again. The arm around his shoulder gave him a small squeeze and a very small smile curved the corners of the dark haired boy's mouth. They made their way to the Headmaster's office in complete silence, Harry's eyes remaining shut for the majority of the time. Classes were still on so there was no one around to stare at them and they were able to relax to a certain extent.

It was when Draco spoke the password to open their way into Headmaster's office that razor-winged butterflies began to tear at Harry's stomach. His hold on Draco tightened a little as they climbed the stairs slowly and he found he had to open his eyes in order to see where he was putting his feet. When they reached the top and were standing outside the door which hid the room behind from their sight, they stopped, allowing Harry a few moments to prepare himself.

"Oh, here, Sev fixed these for you." Draco told him as he removed his arm from around Harry and reached into a pocket of his robes, pulling out Harry's run-away glasses. Carefully, the blonde slid the spectacles over the dark haired boy's eyes before dropping his hands and taking hold of Harry's with them. They stood in front of each other, holding hands, Harry's head bowed while Draco looked down at him with soft eyes. "Ready?"

"I guess."

Draco leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss onto Harry's forehead, just above the bandage around his head and through the thin barrier of a few strands of his hair. "Let's get this over with then." The blonde sighed before dropping one of the dark haired boy's hands so he could knock on the door next to them.

"Come in." Dumbledore's voice came through.

Draco gave Harry's hand a firm squeeze before wordlessly pushing the door open and pulling Harry in behind him. For the first, split second in the room, Harry saw everyone who was present, every single one of which was staring at him: Severus and Lucius were standing on the right hand side of the room; Dumbledore and McGonagall in the middle behind the Headmaster's desk; all the Potters, children included, plus Professor Lupin and Sirius Black were on the left hand side of the room, either sitting or standing. Harry dropped his eyes again almost instantly, desperately trying to block out the knowledge that everyone was staring at him.

Silently, the room watched as Draco led Harry over to where Severus and Lucius stood either side of a chair. Upon reaching them, Harry was wordlessly directed to sit in the chair which he did without fuss, keeping his head bowed the entire time. Severus' hand came to gently rest on the back his son's head the moment the teenager was seated as Lucius rested a hand on his shoulder while Draco never released the hold they hand on each others hands. As one, the three Slytherins stared at the family of Gryffindors on the other side of the room neutrally, showing a united front against them.

A few more moments of silence passed before, finally, Dumbledore spoke: "How are you feeling Harry?"

"As well as can be expected, thank you Professor." He replied quietly in a voice the Potters barely recognised as they had only had encounters with the strong, confident Harry.

"You are aware of the situation?"

"Yes Sir."

"Miss Granger tells us you were aware of it before today? That you found out last year when trying to determine whether you were the Heir of Slytherin or not."

"Yes Sir."

"And you were both the only one's who knew?"

"Yes Sir."

"Didn't you think that this was something that you should have at least told your family?"

Harry didn't answer that, choosing to instead remain silent.

"Haryon, why didn't you tell us?" That was Severus speaking in his neutral, I'm-hiding-everything-behind-a-neutral-mask voice.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and clenched the free hand on his lap into a fist. "I didn't tell anyone because...Because..." His voice quivered as fresh tears filled his eyes and a lump took up residence in his throat. He took in a deep breath before trying to speak again. "I didn't tell anyone because I was...I was afraid."

"Of what?" That was Lucius who sounded exactly like his father.

"...Of being abandoned again." He said in barely a whisper.

"We would never leave you Harry." Draco assured him gently, bringing his other hand up to hold the one of Harry's he already had possession of.

"Why wouldn't you? The people who should've loved me left me in an alleyway without a second thought, why should you all love me when you have no reason to?" He asked quietly, tears starting to drip from his eyes again.

A snort suddenly came from Black over on the other side of the room. "Why am I not surprised that you can't even reassure a kid that they're wanted, Snape?"

"Maybe if it wasn't for the fact he was left behind by his parents when he was barely a few hours old he would have a little more confidence in the people who love him." Lucius retorted on Severus' behalf who still seemed a little stunned by Harry's words.

"And the fact said parents then went on to have more children isn't exactly a good image." Draco sneered at them. "So what was wrong with Harry? Eyes too green? Hair to dark?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Lily told him angrily, her eyes red and puffy with past and present tears. "You could never understand why I did what I did, you could never understand what I went through!"

"Probably not, but only because I don't care enough to take the time to understand. You gave him up, that's all I know or care about, and then you went ahead and had more children who obviously were good enough for you though Merlin knows why. A foul-mouthed savage and a slut who chases after older boys..."

"How dare you talk about my children that way!" James yelled angrily, getting to his feet and drawing his wand much to the horror of Lily, Lupin and Violet.

"Because it's the truth!" Draco answered with a glare just as Lucius and Severus drew their own wands and, in turn, Black joined James' side and pulled out his wand.

"Sirius!" Professor Lupin scolded him angrily but was totally ignored by the man.

"For goodness sake James, sit down!" Lily ordered her husband harshly.

"You're in no position to tell me what to do Lily." James snapped at her and, as far as Harry was concerned, it was the final straw.

"Will you all just stop arguing, put your wands away and sit back down!" He ordered them all in a raised voice, not lifting his head but obviously meaning what he was saying. It was probably more of the surprise that he had spoken and the way he had spoken that got them all to obey rather than any actual authority he had or any sense that they owed him something.

Everything fell into a tense silence after everyone had put their wands away and returned to a more calm state. No one spoke and no one looked at each other which was probably for the best. It gave Harry the opportunity to gather his thoughts and think of the best way to deal with this. He had no real desire to stay in there any longer than he really had to and he sure everyone else didn't. Plus, he couldn't see the reason why so many people had to be present. There was only one thing he really wanted to know and he wanted to hear it without interruption. So he made up his mind and, bracing himself, he voiced it:

"I want everyone except Mr and Mrs Potter to leave please." He paused to let that sink in before going on. "We won't get anywhere with so many people present and there are some things I want to hear without interruption."

The scrapping of a chair over to his right was the only answer he received and he guessed that must have been Dumbledore's. Footsteps began to move and were soon joined by others as everyone slowly and silently left the room. Harry's hand was squeezed once before it was released as Draco turned to leave, his shoulder was patted gently just before Lucius left and a soft kiss was pressed to the top of his head before Severus moved out. A few more seconds passed until the sound of the door shutting came. And so it was just them, Harry and James and Lily. Harry sat with his head still bowed in front of the people who had created him and given him life.

Again, there was silence, no one knowing quite what to say or how to start things off. So, eventually, Harry took it upon himself. He lifted his head but only to look out of the window behind Dumbledore's desk; it was sunny outside. "Why?" He asked softly.

"It's...Complicated." Lily told him weakly.

"And you think that's an excuse to not tell me?" Harry asked in a tired monotone.

"No, I was just..." She trailed off awkwardly.

More silence followed before James decided to speak. "Dumbledore gave us the impression that more damage had been caused." He was obviously referring to his face.

"Madam Pomfrey was able to heal most of it. The bump on my head may take a little longer for some reason, I'm not sure why, wasn't really listening." He answered in the same voice as before, his eyes not leaving the window. "Are you going to explain to me what happened or is this just a waste of my time?"

"It might be a shock to you but this isn't easy for us either." Lily told him in a voice filled with strained patience.

"Oh yes, I can just imagine the inconvenience of a past mistake coming back to haunt you." Harry murmured. "Have you explained it all to John and Violet yet?"

"Not completely, but then, I'm still waiting to hear the full version." James told him which finally caught Harry's attention enough for the teenager to look at him.

For long seconds, dulled green stared into brown until a small spark of realisation glinted in the emerald eyes. "You didn't know I existed." He guessed, his tone now slightly amused now. He turned his eyes onto Lily. "You never told him you were having me, did you?"

"No, I..." Lily began but stopped to obviously compose herself. "You were conceived on the Hallowe'en night of our Seventh Year. I didn't even realise I was pregnant until I went into labour." That was believable, he remembered reading somewhere that it wasn't unheard of that young women, especially teenagers, had gone through the entire pregnancy without knowing it until the birth. "I just thought I was putting on natural weight." She gave a small laugh at that before pausing again. "Just before we graduated from Hogwarts, James and I had an argument and, for all intents and purposes, we split up. So, when I found out I was having you, there was no one I could turn to."

"What about your parents?" Harry inquired, his eyes now back on the window.

"My parents were very much products of their time. If they had known I had gotten myself pregnant out of wedlock...Well, let's just say they wouldn't have helped." She answered with a small amount of grim humour in her tone. "So one day when I was out shopping on my own, the contractions started and a kind person called an ambulance for me. I found out I was pregnant and was about to give birth. I did it all alone, with no one else but the midwife and the doctors there with me. It was hard, the hardest thing I'd ever had to do in my life up to that point. But then they handed you to me and you were so small and cute and you were mine and I loved you from the very second I first saw you."

"Then what changed?" The teenager asked in his neutral tone again.

"Nothing changed, I've always loved you, even when I didn't know whether you were alive somewhere or not." Lily insisted firmly, her tone the most confident so far.

"Then why did you leave me in that alleyway?"

"I started to suffer from post-natal depression almost instantly and it made everything seem so much worse. I had no one to turn to. My parents wouldn't help me, I thought James and I were over forever and I was only eighteen years old. What did I know about looking after a baby? The only solution I saw at the time was to give you up, so that you could have a better life than the one I could give you."

"So you left me in an alleyway? Did it never occur to you to give me to the nurses or ask them to contact social services to have me adopted?" Harry asked, his tone still not angry, only empty and toneless.

"That did occur to me but I wasn't thinking properly. I thought that they'd judge me, that they'd think I was weak and useless and a terrible mother." She explained.

"They'd have been right." Harry murmured in reply.

"That was uncalled for." James frowned at him. Harry just gave him a lazy look in reply.

"I guess I deserved that." Lily conceded, looking down at her lap.

"So, basically, you took me away from the hospital when I was only a few hours old and left me in an alleyway to die because you were scared?" Harry summarised, looking back to the window.

"It's not quite that simple..." She tried to protest.

"It is for me." Harry interrupted before standing. "Thank you for your time and I apologise for the inconvenience this has caused. I suggest you go home and try and work out the problems which will no doubt arise from this. Good day." He wished before heading towards the door.

"Wait a minute." James said sternly, pulling out his wand and locking the door from where he sat. Harry stopped walking and turned to look at the man. "We're not finished here."

"I can think of nothing more that needs to be said." Harry disagreed calmly.

"Look, I'm just as much an innocent party in this as much as you are. I didn't even know about any of this until a few hours ago. How do you think all this makes me feel? To find out that for fifteen years I had a son I never knew about? To find out that said son is the Boy-Who-Lived of all people?"

"Yes, I'm sure this must be hard for you; you have my sympathies." The teenager replied in a monotoned voice which was anything but sympathetic. "However, I don't see how that can be turned into a discussion so if you could please unlock the door."

"How can you be so cold about all of this?" James demanded, exasperated. "This changes everything for all of us, you're our son..."

"No, you see Mr Potter, that's where you're wrong. I'm not your son and you are not my father, nor is your wife my mother. You're strangers who just happened to create me by accident during, which was no doubt, a drunken grope. You did not raise me, you refused to love me and that means you have no right to calls yourselves my parents. I've never had a mother and my father is Severus Tobias Snape, a man who took me in as his own when he was eighteen." His eyes flickered onto Lily. "You use the excuse of your age as a reason why you gave me up yet that wasn't an issue for my father, I don't see why it was and still is for you. Now," he looked to James again, "the door please Mr Potter."

"No, not yet."

A hard look crossed Harry's face at that. "We have nothing more to discuss. I do not wish to spend the rest of the day going around in circles, so open the door and let me out now!" Still the man made no move to unlock the door. "Open it." Harry ordered in a cold voice. No reaction from either Potter.

Harry's expression darkened into something which was positively poisonous and he glared hatefully at the two adults in front of him. He held out his right arm, the one nearest the door, to the side and jerked his hand. The sound of the lock sliding away came and, as Harry was able to then open the door, Potter's locking charm was obviously dispelled as well.

"Oi, come back!" James ordered, instantly going after Harry as he walked out of the room, Lily following on behind him quickly. Harry ignored him completely as he began to descend the staircase. "Harry!" He tried.

"I have nothing to say to you." Harry called back firmly, picking up his pace when he heard hurried footsteps catch him up.

"You can't run away from this!" Lily tried, following on behind them both.

"I'm not running away from it, I'm running away from you!" Harry retorted angrily, finally leaving the stairs and finding everyone who had left the office was standing in the corridor waiting for them. Nearest the entrance was Black, Lupin, John and Violet and a lot further off were Severus, Lucius and Draco. Everyone was already looking in the direction of the stairs, no doubt alerted by the previous sound of their yelling voices.

It was just as he was passing the cluster of old and new Gryffindors that Harry's arm was caught by James who had finally caught up to him. "This needs to be sorted out now!" James told him firmly as Harry glared up at him defiantly.

"There is nothing more to sort out." Harry replied as he gave his arm a rough yank, pulling it out of the man's hold.

He turned quickly and then broke into a run, heading straight towards his true family. The three Slytherins moved forward in order to meet him and Harry threw himself into Severus arms upon reaching him. All the anger and anxiety and stress chose that moment to come to the surface and Harry buried his face in his father's robes before starting to cry. The Potion Master's arms came around him in a comforting hold and Harry allowed himself to be pulled against Severus' side tightly and covered by the folds of the man's teaching robes. He kept his face pressed against his father's chest as he was led away, leaving the Potter's behind, staring after them.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

26th March 1994: Early Morning

When Harry woke up, he woke up quickly, consciousness returning to him in a snap. He didn't open his eyes though, mostly because of the position he was in. It was somewhere he hadn't been for a while, years in fact. He was on Severus' lap, his body held closely to the man's chest while his legs stretched out across the rest of the sofa. Yes, it had been so long since the last time he had woken up like this. If he remembered correctly, the last time had been when he had been sick with the flu once when he was twelve; he'd had a nightmare and had then promptly fallen asleep in his father's arms when the man came to offer comfort. This time, he couldn't actually remember being in Severus' arms when he fell asleep. He remembered coming to the personal rooms in the dungeons, he remembered crying an awful lot but he couldn't remember actually falling asleep. He imagined he'd probably been given a potion to knock him out in the end.

Beneath his ear, Harry could hear the steady beating of Severus' heart inside his chest and the warmth radiating from him was soothing. The man wasn't moving and his breathing was even and un-changing so Harry naturally assumed he was still asleep. So, he risked opening his eyes a little. His glasses had been removed at some point so the dark room around him was very blurry and if there was any detail to be seen, it had blended together with other things and was indistinguishable to him. With a small sigh, Harry lifted his eyes a little, fully expecting to see a peaceful expression on his father's face and closed eyes. That being the case, he was rather startled to find that the dark haired man was actually looking down at him with a neutral expression, his black eyes practically drilling into Harry's green ones.

Harry couldn't quite bring himself to pull his eyes away from the ones above him despite the fact he desperately wanted to. They just stared at each other for a while, Harry not knowing what to say and Severus possibly being in the same situation or maybe he just had nothing to say. Eventually, the silence got too much for Harry to bear and he broke it with a gently whispered: "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't; I haven't slept." Came the monotoned reply.

"Oh." Harry replied awkwardly, for lack of anything else to say. All his muscles had suddenly tensed of their own accord and in the back of his mind, Harry was aware of the internal battle he was having with himself in regards to what to do next. Part of him wanted to slide off Severus' lap and avoid the conversation which was no doubt on its way while another part was quite happy being snuggled against his father in the way he was and wanted to conversation to come in order to get it out of the way.

"The reason you gave for not telling me," Severus suddenly spoke, his tone still low and emotionless. "Was it the truth?"

"Yes." Harry whispered, determined not to lie to his father about any of this anymore. There was no real point anyway, the man knew everything now.

"And why is it you feel this way? Have I not shown you enough love and affection? Why did you not tell me when you found out Haryon? Do you not trust me?" There was a tiny amount of hurt in Severus' voice when he said that and it shattered Harry's heart to know that he was the one who had caused it.

He clung to Severus' robes and buried his face against his chest. "This is why I never told you!" He cried, his voice wavering with tears. "Because I didn't want to see you hurt, not ever, because I love you more than anything or anyone. I didn't want to be the one who had to hurt you, who had to be the one to tell you that I'm actually a Potter! And I...I was scared that you wouldn't be able to see past it, that it would too much for you, that you wouldn't want me anymore..." Tears began to fall from his eyes again and the arms which were still around him tightened slightly.

"Sshh, it's all right." Severus murmured soothingly, starting a slight rocking motion. "I'm so sorry you felt that way sweetheart, I'm sorry I couldn't make you feel safe and loved."

"But you did!" Harry insisted heatedly, clinging a little tighter. "I've never felt safer or more loved than when I'm with you but how can I believe it will last? The Potter's should've loved me and they didn't. And you...You have no reason to love me."

Severus sighed heavily and pulled Harry a little closer to himself. "You silly, silly boy. I have every reason to love you." He assured quietly. "Not only because of who you are but because of what you have done for me."

"You mean be a constant source of worry and aggravation?" The teenager muttered dejectedly.

"No, for saving my life on countless occasions. Haryon, that night I found you in that alleyway, my life finally had a little ray of hope. I haven't had a happy life by far and to be honest at that point I was starting to lose hope of anything ever getting better. But then I found you and you gave me a reason to keep living; you still do." He paused and made Harry tilt his head up to look him in the face again. "As far as I am concerned, you are my son, not James Potter's and you have nothing in common with him at all. When I see your dark hair, I see myself. When I see your glasses, I see my mother. And when I see your green eyes, I just see you and maybe the result of some recessive gene in my blood-line."

"You honestly don't care I'm the off-spring of the man you hate more than anyone?" Harry asked cautiously, searching his father's dark eyes for any signs of a lie.

"Hmm, he's more of the third man I hate more than anyone, what with Black and the Dark Lord being ahead of him, but no, I don't care Haryon. In fact, I might just be able to find it in myself to forgive James Potter as if it weren't for him I wouldn't have you."

"Forgive James Potter? That's going a bit far don't you think?" Harry grinned lightly.

Severus chuckled lightly. "Yes, maybe it is. I must be suffering from sleep-deprivation."

Harry laughed quietly at that and after the giggles had faded the smile remained across his lips. He lowered his head onto Severus' chest once more and shut his eyes again. "I love you Father."

A large hand came up to cup the back of Harry's head and a pair of dry lips brushed against his forehead, just above the bandage which was still wrapped around his head. "And I love you my son."

26th March 1994: Morning

Kept company only by the sound of running water, Harry stood in front of the mirror in Severus' bathroom staring at his reflection, unblinking. The more he looked at himself, the more he saw similarities between himself and his birth family. It was distressing but he couldn't quite bring himself to turn away because if he wasn't thinking about himself and the features he shared with the Potters, he'd start to think about the day ahead and he didn't want that. His first class of the day, Divination, started in about ten minutes and he didn't want to go. He wanted to hide under the covers of his father's bed forever, he didn't want to face the population of Hogwarts.

It wasn't that he cared what they said. After all, he was the injured party here. What he did care about was the fact they said it at all. They wouldn't be able to leave it alone and it was going to be a trying day for both him and Severus. And then there was Fred and George. Would they hate him now? He'd kept the secret from them and yet Hermione had known, though that wasn't his fault. Would their feelings be hurt that they weren't told? It could go either way really. There were elements from both of their characters which could mean that their reaction could go either way. The only way for him to find out was to confront them and that was something he was dreading.

"Buck up deary." His reflection suddenly said to him, breaking his stare and making him refocus his gaze. "It's not like you to not have a smile on your face."

"No..." Harry murmured to himself, stepping away from the mirror and looking down at the corner of the small bathroom. "I suppose it isn't."

He turned then and headed out of the bathroom, entering his father's bedroom. When he went to leave the bedroom though, he paused upon hearing voices on the other side of the door. Carefully, he leaned forward and pressed his ear against the wood in an attempt to make out who was in the living room with Severus and what was being discussed.

"Are you sure letting him go to classes is wise?" That was Lucius' voice. "Perhaps allowing him the day off to let the fuss among the student population die down would be best?"

"He's not going to hide from this, neither of us are." Severus' voice came. "We will face the population of Hogwarts and show to them that we are unaffected by the recent revelations."

"But what use is that when you have been affected by them?" Lucius' voice inquired gently. "You may be able to hide your emotions and such like a professional but Haryon is not so fortunate and none of this can be easy for him; he's a very private young man."

"Then he should have told us all of this when he first found out and then steps could have been taken to lessen the impact of when it finally came to light."

"Severus, do you blame Haryon for all of this?"

"What? No, of course not, don't be ridiculous! He was scared of our reaction and if that's anyone's fault it's mine for not making him feel secure enough."

"Actually, I'm rather more inclined to blame the Potters. They are the ones who started this whole mess after all." A pause. "I'm not sure what I want to do more: shake Potter's hand for allowing us the chance to have Haryon in our lives or kill him for giving him up and obviously having a huge, negative affect on his out-look on life. Of course he's going to be afraid of people leaving him when the very people who should have loved him the most gave him up without explanation."

"According to Dumbledore, Potter didn't know about Haryon until yesterday. Evans birthed and gave him up of her own accord. She gave some tired excuse of the affects of post-natal depression combined with the stress of being a young, single mother."

A snort from Lucius. "Utter rubbish. You were exactly her age when you took Haryon in and that was before you even knew you would have a home with us at the manor."

"Yes, as far as I knew at the time Haryon and I would be living alone in the house I grew up in since I inherited it after the unfortunate end of my dear father." Those last words were scathing and very obviously not meant to be taken as an endearment towards the deceased man. "Looking back, it was rather foolish of me. I was fresh out of Hogwarts, I had no job or any prospects, little money and I had no real idea how to take care of a child. But I saw him there," the tone turned wistful, "my little Haryon; crying his heart out, just begging to be loved and I picked him up without real thought. He needed me and I know that I needed him. I still do."

A long silence took over then and Harry began to feel acutely guilty for eavesdropping on this conversation. It seemed so personal and something he shouldn't be listening to without his father's knowledge. He was about to open the door and make his presence known when he heard a knock, most probably coming from the portrait, and he froze. No way was he going to go out there if there was someone other than his father or godfather in the room. He'd wait for a moment to see who it was and how long they were going to stay before he made up his mind whether to make his first appearance of the morning or not.

"Morning Sev." A new voice greeted; it was Draco.

"Good morning Draco." Severus' voice returned.

"Father?" Draco's voice asked before pausing. "Oh no, what's happened now?"

"Nothing, I simply came to check on Haryon."

"Is he all right?"

"We haven't seen him to ask." Severus replied, his tone reluctant as he was obviously uncomfortable with admitting it. "He's currently in the bathroom."

"Is he coming to classes today?"

"Yes."

"That's what I thought so I came him to walk him to Divination. He probably doesn't particularly want to walk there on his own." Harry rolled his eyes; more like Draco didn't want him walking to class on his own. "How long has he been in the bathroom for?"

"About half an hour now I suppose."

"Do you think we should check on him? Harry doesn't usually spend more than five minutes getting ready in the morning." Draco pointed out quite rightly and that was enough to prompt Harry into finally making his presence known.

He took a small breath, steeled himself and then pushed the door open, effectively silencing the three Slytherins in the living room as he stepped in the area. "Good morning." He greeted them all with a small smile, moving further into the room.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked gently.

"Not too bad." Harry assured as he moved over to where his bag had ended up at the end of the sofa in front of the fire-place.

"Are you sure you're all right to go to classes today?" Lucius asked him in a tone that was nothing more than supportive.

"There's no point putting it off and not showing my face will only make things look suspicious." The dark haired boy pointed out reasonably, picking up his bag and pulling it over his shoulder before turning to look at the three other men in the room. "I'm the injured party here, I have nothing to be ashamed of." He insisted confidently, much more confidently then he actually felt.

Severus gave a small sigh. "If it gets too much for you come straight here, even if it's in the middle of class I don't care. You are to come straight to this room, understand?"

"Yes Father." Harry assured with as smile as he walked over to the Potions Master. He stood up on tip-toes and pecked a kiss to the corner of the man's mouth. "Have a good day Father." He wished before moving over to Draco. "You too Uncle Lucius." He added as he and the younger blonde reached the portrait and pushed it open.

"Stay proud Haryon." Lucius encouraged as the two teenagers began to leave. "And look out for him Draco."

"Of course." Draco agreed without looking back.

Harry paused once he was outside in the corridor to wait for Draco to close the portrait behind him. However, it soon became apparent that there was no need to wait because the dark haired boy had barely begun to turn to face the blonde when he found himself being pulled against the Slytherin's chest, slim arms coming around him in a secure hold. The Gryffindor tensed almost instantly and it didn't go un-noticed by the one who had his arms around him.

"What's wrong?"

"Father might come out at any second." Harry pointed out reasonably, peering around Draco to the still-closed portrait hole.

Draco gave a small grunt. "Good point I suppose." He grumbled before letting one of his arms fall from Harry. With only one arm around the dark haired boy's shoulders, he set them forward slowly. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Not too well." Harry sighed, allowing Draco to keep his arm around him knowing that no one would think it was weird as it could easily be explained as a gesture of comfort through the time of stress it was. "I kept waking up once the calming draught wore off, even after Father and I talked about everything."

"Are you sure you're up for classes today? There'd be no harm or shame in taking the day off you know." Draco assured him gently.

"No, if I took the day off all I'd do is sit around and dwell on everything and that won't do me any good." The dark haired boy reasoned as he leaned into the blonde. "You don't have to worry about me, I'll be all right."

"I'll be the judge of that." Draco grunted, tightening his grip a little as they reached the point where they would probably soon be encountering other students on their way to class. "You are aware that I'm not leaving your side today, right?"

"You have to, you don't have Divination, Charms or Care of Magical Creatures with me." Harry pointed out, slightly amused.

"I meant besides those times and you know it." The blonde said, trying to fight a grin.

"How could I have known when you didn't say it?" The dark haired boy teased, trying his best to distract Draco, and himself, from more serious issues.

"Shut up." Draco ordered with a smirk.

"Make me." Harry challenged. Draco didn't reply with words, instead he leaned down and caught the smaller boy's lips in a soft kiss.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry was back to staring at his reflection again, only this time it was a distorted, extreme close-up of his eyes on the surface of the highly polished crystal ball in front of him. How was he supposed to focus on the clearing of the mist when there were so many people glancing at him every few seconds. It was distracting and it had been happening all through class! He didn't know if it was because they were being nosey, being concerned or whether they were all waiting for him to crack or something. It didn't really matter on the reason in the end, he just wished they'd all stop so he could concentrate on his crystal ball. He couldn't wait to get out of the classroom and go to Charms despite the fact it meant having to face Fred and George. Even that was preferable to being stared at and getting frustrated with the mist that wouldn't bloody part!

Or perhaps it was a good sign that the mist wouldn't part. That suggested there was nothing to see which in turn meant that nothing or significance was due to happen any time soon and that couldn't be a bad thing. Harry decided to try and not be frustrated with his lack of success in his fortune telling that day and instead focus on the positive side of not seeing anything. Merlin knew that with everything which had happened in the past twenty-four hours, he appreciated the fact that there would be nothing extra to worry about.

After several more minutes of nothing through the mist and the short, though frequent, stares being sent his direction, the class came to an end and Harry was allowed his freedom for the five minutes it would take him to get to his next lesson which he both wished would arrive and never happen. This was the time he would have to confront Fred and George for the first time since he ran out on them yesterday lunch. It didn't really matter whether he had to speak to them straight or whether it would be after the lesson, it was inevitable that he'd have to speak to them either way and, as with going to Charms in the first place, he was both dreading and longing it.

Harry left the classroom silently and on his own, avoiding joining with Lee Jordan who he usually walked to Charms with. However, instead of making the journey to his next class on his own as he had intended, he soon found he'd have company when he spotted Draco standing to one side, obviously waiting for him as he ignored the one Slytherin girl who took Divination when she tried to strike up conversation with him. Harry changed his path so that he was heading over to the blonde and, upon reaching him, glanced around to make sure no one was looking before bouncing up on his toes and pecking a quick kiss to the taller boy's cheek.

"Don't you have Care of Magical Creatures right now?" Harry asked curiously, ignoring the other students who were going about their own business around them.

Draco shrugged. "Yes, but I'm going to walk you to Charms."

"Won't you be late?" The dark haired boy pointed out, swallowing down the small swell of annoyance he felt at being treated like some helpless damsel who needed to be accompanied everywhere.

"Probably." The blonde grinned before leaning down so that his lips were right against the smaller boy's ear, lightly brushing against the shell with every breath he took. "I'm sure you could afford a small delay as well." He whispered, the warm breath and the suggestion behind the words making the Gryffindor shiver and his eyes drift shut.

Harry was actually seriously considering the Slytherin's offer; it would be nice to have a few minutes of pleasurable escape. However, upon opening his eyes again, he was greeted with the sight of Fred and George further up the corridor, watching him and Draco. His eyes met with theirs and a moment of acknowledgement passed between him and them, ruining any chance Harry might've had of pretending he hadn't seen them and going off with Draco without incident. He tensed against the blonde in anxiety and, just as earlier that morning, it didn't go un-noticed.

"What's wrong?" Draco queried, slight concern in his voice. Harry didn't answer, just flickered his eyes to Draco's before looking back to Fred and George. The blonde Slytherin followed his gaze to the Weasley twins and he instantly understood what the problem was. "Do you want to talk to them?" He inquired gently, leaning closer to Harry once again.

"I think I should." Harry answered.

"Without me?"

"I think that would be best." The dark haired boy admitted.

"Alright." Draco agreed before leaning down and capturing Harry's lips in a quick kiss. "I'll see you after Charms then." He said upon separating.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, see ya."

Draco gave him a smile and another quick kiss before moving past Harry, heading away in the only direction he could which led him past Fred and George. Although he couldn't be completely certain, Harry was pretty sure the blonde Slytherin passed the two red-heads without comment and for that he was grateful. Once Draco was gone, Harry took the first move and walked forwards, towards his two friends. He stopped just in front of them.

"How are you?" Fred asked first, sounding suitably concerned and also rather nervous.

"I'm not too bad." Harry assured with a slight smile.

"How is, erm, everything?" George inquired.

"Pretty good, considering." The dark haired boy answered truthfully before falling silent. He hesitated a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys anything when I first found out."

Both twins shook their heads at their same time. "There's no need to apologise." Fred insisted.

"Being related to Potter isn't exactly something you'd want to shout from the rooftops." George agreed with his brother.

"And we talked to Granger about how she found out."

"It's hardly as if you chose to tell her..."

"...She found out by accident."

"If Oliver Wood had walked in ten minutes earlier..."

"...He'd have been the one in the know."

Harry was completely marvelled by the two boys in front of him. They were so easy-going, so understanding, so open-minded. They weren't holding the fact that Harry kept such a huge secret from them against him and they didn't seem at all bothered by the revelation. They weren't taking the fact that Hermione had been aware and they hadn't as an insult, in fact they were viewing it as what it was; an accident which could've happened to any one of the Gryffindors. Not for the first time, Harry was reminded that despite the playful and mischievous nature of the twins, they were also incredibly mature.

"Thanks," Harry murmured. "For understanding."

"Think nothing of it." Fred insisted in a rather peppy voice, waving his hand in dismissal of the gratitude.

"Now, we should get to Charms if we're going. Even using current events as an excuse for lateness, we're only going to be able to get away with a certain amount of time." George pointed out before setting off, quickly followed by Fred and an immensely relieved Harry.

26th March 1994: Midday

"We didn't have an essay to write for Transfiguations did we?" George asked after swallowing the mouthful of sandwich he was eating.

"I don't think so." Harry answered after taking a moment to think back.

"Oh good, because I didn't do one."

"Isn't it a bit late to be asking that?" Fred pointed out with a grin of amusement. "I mean, we do have it next. What if there had been an essay? There's no way you'd be able to write it in forty-five minutes."

"I reckon I'd be able to pull it off if you and Harry helped me with it."

"And what makes you think we would?" Harry challenged, also grinning in amusement now.

"Hey, whatever happened to helping the needy?" George demanded. "You're a Priest, you're supposed to help anyone who asks for it."

"Not when it's writing an essay for someone who was too lazy to do it on their own."

"You wouldn't be writing all of it; I'd help." George insisted.

"Just like you helped the time Harry and I wrote your entire Potions essay on the properties of gillyweed." Fred reminded his brother pointedly.

"I helped out as much as I could! It's not my fault I couldn't remember half of what was said in class and so..."

The argument continued on between the two brothers even when Harry's interest wandered away. He glanced around himself curiously, just to see what everyone was up to more than anything. The first thing he noticed was that Professor Lupin was strangely absent. Severus was sitting at the Head Table looking far more irritated and scornful than normal and Draco was much the same where he sat at the Slytherin Table, glaring at anyone who looked at him for too long and just completely ignoring Bethany and Spari much to their obvious dislike. Further down the Slytherin table was Blaise Zabini who was staring at Harry openly and the older boy just couldn't be bothered to make a fuss over it so he ignored the boy. On various other tables there were students trying to stare at him a bit more discreetly but obviously not discreetly enough as Harry easily noticed them. Several seats away from him on the Gryffindor table was Potter, Violet and Ron, all eating their lunches in what looked like a rather sombre silence. Harry had been blatantly ignored by his younger brother on the few occasions they had passed in the corridors so far and had received nothing more than brief glances and bright red blushes from his younger sister. Not for the first time that day, he noted that Hermione's absence from her group of friends and he wondered where she was.

That question was soon answered when, through the doors of the Great Hall, Hermione came trudging in, looking incredibly unhappy. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened to put the Third Year girl in the mood she was currently and Harry felt instantly guilty. He turned to Fred and George, who were still involved in their argument about just who it was who did the most work on that Potions essay they did who knows how many months ago.

"Guys, would it be alright with you if I asked Hermione to come sit with us?" He interrupted them gently, inclining his head in the frizzy haired girl's direction.

Fred and George stopped arguing instantly and turned to look at Harry before looking over to Hermione. "Course not, call her over." Fred assured with a smile.

Harry smiled back at him in thanks before turning back in the direction Hermione was in again. "Hermione!" He called in a semi-yell, raising a hand and waving to her. The girl heard him first time and her eyes lit up upon seeing him. Her pace picked up and she hurried over to him and the two Weasley twins. Harry shifted up along the bench a little in order to allow her some room to sit down. "Are you all right?" He asked her quietly.

"I've been better." She admitted quietly.

"Potter's blaming you isn't he?" Harry guessed.

"He says I should've told him as soon as I found out, that it was a betrayal to keep your secret from him." Hermione sighed.

"What about Ron?" Fred asked next.

"Yeah, surely he's not siding with Potter?" George added.

"Apparently he has. He stood by and said nothing while John told me exactly what he thought of me and that I wasn't to talk to him ever again, and then he left with him once I'd been thoroughly told off."

"That stupid little prat." George groaned, shaking his head in something akin to despair, drawing the attention of Hermione and Harry to him.

"He's just as bad as Percy, he really is." Fred muttered.

Harry turned his gaze onto Hermione then and rested a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need people who treat you like that. You can always spend time with us if you ever get lonely and I'll always be your friend even if I'm not the one you wish was."

"Thanks Harry." Hermione murmured with a weak smile, leaning into him for a second in appreciation before straightening back up.

Harry could tell that just his friendship wasn't enough and she still missed her other two friends but there was very little he could do about that. He could only try and keep the younger girl happy and distract her from the current unpleasantness.

26th March 1994: Afternoon

"Good afternoon Haryon."

"Good afternoon High Priest."

"I apologise for pulling you out of your lesson but I felt it for the best that we talk sooner rather than later."

"Oh, I see. Um, is there anything wrong then?"

"Surely it should be me asking you that. I'm aware of what has happened over the past day."

"Did Professor Dumbledore tell you?"

"No, I saw it all myself, through a vision. I was having tea with my sister at the time; startled her quite badly actually."

"You had a vision of...Me?"

"Yes. I saw the moment the young boy, your brother, attacked you. Speaking of which, how's your head?"

"Erm, not too bad thank you. A bit of a bump but otherwise it's fine."

"I'm glad to hear it. So, how are you coping with everything?"

"It's, uh, it's not too bad. A lot better than I expected actually. None of my friends are at all offended that I kept it from them and, not counting the regular staring, people have pretty much left me alone about it."

"And your family?"

"Neither Draco or Uncle Lucius seem to care about it and are only concerned for me and about keeping everything as normal as possible for me. My father..."

"...Yes?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not completely sure. He says he doesn't care and I do believe him, but I know this has affected him more than he's letting on. I just don't know how though. Father can be a difficult man to read at the best of times but when he really doesn't want you to know something, it's impossible to find out."

"Have you attempted to talk to him about it?"

"No, I haven't really had the time but even if I did try, it wouldn't lead to anything. He'd either avoid the question or straight out refuse to answer. I hardly have a right to demand he tell me exactly what's bothering him when I myself often keep things from him. I kept the truth of my parentage a secret from him for almost a year after all."

"Indeed. I must say, I was surprised to discover that you already knew. You acted as though nothing had changed for you."

"Nothing did, not really. All that happened was the anonymous faces of my parents were filled in. It answered none of my questions and once I had decided to keep it to myself and Hermione promised the same thing, it posed no threat to my relationship with my family."

"I see."

"High Priest?"

"Yes?"

"Why is this happening to me? Why has my life been fated to be so hard? Am I being punished?"

"No, I believe punishment would be the last reason the Great Lady chose this life for you. It is far more likely that you are being...Tested I suppose would be the best way to describe it."

"Tested?"

"You were an extraordinary child Haryon and it is only natural that you will turn into an extraordinary young man. The power you posses mixed with your good nature and proud spirit cannot be pure coincidence. Our Great Lady took great care in placing you in this life no doubt because she had a special purpose for you. You have already led a most accomplished life already, seeing and doing things that people ten times your age can only dream about in their nightmares and you have become stronger because of it. Your life has always been hard and I don't think your trials are over yet. One day, you will face your destiny, the reason you were given this life and until that day, you will be tested and trained by the events in your life in order to prepare you."

"High Priest...Do you...Know, what it is I'm fated to do?"

"Do you?"

"No?"

"Then neither do I."

"But High Priest..."

"Haryon, when you are meant to know your fate, you will be told directly. Yes?"

"...Yes High Priest."

"Good. Now, I believe I've kept you long enough. I will see you again on Sunday."

"Yes High Priest."

"Good day Haryon."

"Good day High Priest."

27th March 1994: Evening

Harry bit his lip lightly as he listened intently to the voices that were coming from behind the door he had his ear pressed against, those coming from inside his father's bedroom. He had retreated to the dungeons earlier that evening to spend some time with his father, the events of the previous couple of days still weighing heavy on his shoulders, and had found Lucius there as well. He had joined them and, for several minutes, had enjoyed the easy atmosphere between them all. But then James and Lily Potter had arrived and the Gryffindor had instantly been sent to Severus' bedroom so he didn't have to listen to whatever it was his biological parents had to say. Of course, when the adults were yelling at each other, it was kinda hard not to over-hear what was being said:

"Access?" Severus' raised voice said, his tone filled with disbelief. "You expect me to agree to you having joint access of my son after you abandoned him as you did?"

"That was a long time ago Severus," Lily Potter's voice answered gently. "We have two other children now, we're successful, experienced parents."

"I think the successful claim is a matter of opinion." Lucius voice sneered.

"All we're asking for is that Harry spend half of his summer holidays with us, that's not a lot to ask Snape." James Potter's voice said then.

"My answer is still no. As far as I am concerned, Haryon will have as little to do with you as possible, just as it was before all of this came into the open." Severus insisted.

"Fine, we wanted to do this calmly and act like adults but you've left us no choice Snape. Allow us access to Harry or we'll take this to court." James threatened.

"You'll what!" Severus' voice boomed and Harry winced a little at the sound.

"We'll take this to court and demand full custody. We're his biological parents, I'm an Auror and Lily's a medi-witch. You simply picked him up out of the streets and are an ex-Death Eater."

"I raised him while you two carried on with your lives and had more children!" Severus yelled and Harry detected that there was a very definite hint of fear in the man's voice as though he was afraid the Potter would, indeed, carry out their threat and, indeed, win.

"Severus, if I may?" Lucius voice said calmly then and there was a short pause before the blonde aristocrat spoke again. "Very well Potter, if you wish to take this through the courts then we cannot stop you. However, I should warn you, if that is the action you decide to take, we will press charges against your wife."

"What!" That was both James and Lily.

"I don't know what the laws in Muggle society are but in the Wizarding world abandoning your child is not something one does without having to suffer consequences: neglect; abandonment; perhaps even an attempted murder charge. You'd be facing an Azkaban sentence of at least two years, if you're lucky." Lucius explained to them both. "Plus, do please think about what affect such a thing would have on Haryon what with the publicity it would no doubt attract."

There was a long silence then and Harry desperately wished he could see through the wood of the door in order to see exactly what it was that was happening. Why was no one talking suddenly? Had they killed each other? It wouldn't actually have surprised the Gryffindor if Severus had let loose a Killing curse, the poor man had suffered so much stress over the past two days.

"We won't give up." James' voice said then, tone full of determination but also defeat showing that he was aware that today would not be a victory for him and his wife.

"And neither will we." Lucius replied coolly. "Good night Mr Potter, Mrs Potter."

Nothing more came again then and Harry stepped away from the door, going over to his father's bed and sitting on the edge to make it appear as though he hadn't been eaves-dropping on everything the adults had discussed. So, for now, he would be allowed to remain with his father in peace, but the Potters were, apparently, not going to give up. Would the time come when he was taken away from his father and made to live with them? If it did, Harry was not going to make it easy. He refused to live with the Potters and if they tried to make him, he would simply run away every time and return to Severus. Never would the Potters be any part of his family.

He was a Snape and that would never change.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

2nd June 1994: Afternoon

Harry felt depressed. Not terribly depressed, it was nothing debilitating, but he definitely wasn't happy.

As if having to pay Fate for allowing him his family and closest friends after the revelation of who his biological parents are, he had lost several other people instead, the most noticeable being Violet and Professor Lupin. Violet all but ignored him now. They never spoke and she would never look him in the eye. He sometimes caught her staring at him out of the corner of her eye across the Gryffindor common room or down the length of the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, but whenever she became aware that he knew what she was doing, she'd instantly look away. And Professor Lupin had become more of a teacher than anything else again. They had no friendship outside of the classroom anymore. Although the man was never harsh or unkind to him, there was a definite sense that he felt awkward around Harry now and didn't quite know how to treat him. It was understandable but that didn't mean Harry had to like it.

The acute guilt he felt over Hermione losing Johnathan and Ron as friends because she kept his secret wasn't helping to perk up his spirits either. She never complained about it or showed that it affected her, but sometimes, when she thought no one was looking, she could look incredibly sad, sending longing looks in the direction her old friends were in. Harry couldn't help but feel responsible for it. If he had never involved her, it would never have happened to her and she'd still have her friends...

But there was a way to start setting things right and it had made itself known and plausible that very morning. Upon getting ready to go down to breakfast, an owl had tapped on the window in his dorm room. It had carried a note from none other than Johnathan Potter saying that he thought they should meet and talk and try to make peace with each other. At the end, it contained instructions to meet him in the Shrieking Shack at seven o'clock that evening and then directions of how to get there via a secret passage at the bass of the Whomping Willow.

Harry had immediately done the smart thing and doubted the note's authenticity. The sudden change in attitude and maturity the note indicated that Potter had undergone was more than a little suspicious so, just to make sure, he had cast a few spells to check whether it was fake or anything like that. However, it all came back pointing towards the explanation that the note was genuine and so Harry was forced to believe that the note, the request and the sentiment behind it were all real. That had then left him with a decision to make; should he go? It didn't take him long to decide he would. Things needed to be sorted out. Feelings had to be aired. Truces had to be formed.

And so there he was; belly full of dinner and sneaking out across the Quidditch pitch with Hermione in tow. Naturally, upon hearing that Potter was in the mood to talk, Harry had immediately sought out the girl and asked if she wanted to come in order to try and sort things out with the other boy too. She had taken some persuading, particularly when she found out that the note hadn't said anything about bringing her along, but she had eventually given in and agreed to tag along in order to try and work out her own problems with Potter.

They made their way across the slightly darkening grounds of Hogwarts silently, not willing to risk any noise in case they alerted someone of their movement. It was only when they were a fair distance away from the castle that Hermione broke the silence. "Oh look, there's Buckbeak!" She whispered happily, pointing to the distance where Hagrid's shack looked like nothing more than a doll's house. Outside, among the orange of the pumpkin patch, was the greyish form of the hippogryph. "Of all the hippogryphs that Hagrid brought to show us, he's my favourite."

"He is a lovely creature." Harry agreed, allowing them a moment to admire the sight of the relaxing Buckbeak. "I got to ride him you know."

"You didn't?" Hermione gasped in awe.

Harry nodded. "Hagrid asked for a volunteer to ride him and since no one else offered their services, I sacrificed myself so to speak. It was one of those terrifying-in-a-good-way kind of moments." He paused and grinned lightly. "The look on Draco's face when I landed; he really looked like he might faint at any moment. Refused to leave my side for too long the rest of the day."

He turned and began to walk in the direction of the distant Whomping Willow then and Hermione quickly followed him, looking awkwardly down at her feet. "If you don't mind me saying, isn't that a little extreme of him? I mean, maybe if you were hurt of something..."

"It was during the days of a full moon." Harry told her quietly, all the while wondering at the back of his mind whether he should be talking to Hermione about this. "I think...I think Draco's a Luna Veela."

"Seriously? Then, you're his mate?" Hermione gasped.

"I might be I suppose." He shrugged non-commitedly.

"But Draco hasn't turned sixteen yet, has he?" The older boy shook his head at her question. "Why is he acting like that during the full moon? He hasn't reached his Inheritance yet."

"He's been acting like it for a couple of years now. I'm starting to think it has more to do with the beginning of puberty rather than starting when they reach sixteen." He explained.

"A couple of years? So each full moon..."

"He gets more than a little weird, yeah. I've been doing some research on it this year and also considering Aunt Narcissa was a Luna Veela, I think it's a pretty likely explanation."

"I see." Hermione murmured before a pause took them over as they drew nearer to the Whomping Willow. "Has he, um...I mean, have you been, uhh..." She asked nervously, obviously not knowing quite how to phrase the question.

"He's Marked me but we haven't Bonded yet." Harry answered the question he knew she was trying to ask. "I don't think he quite understands what's going on with himself so I don't think he knows what he's supposed to be doing."

"Marked you? Like you're his property?" The younger girl cried indignantly, clearly out-raged by the idea.

"Sort of. It's not a visible mark or anything, more of a scent mark. In the times where there were more Veela about, being Marked was a way to declare intent to other Veela and to protect the Mate from them. Nowadays, it's just about instinct. Veela have become more humane and the Marking is just a step that the deep-seated instincts drive them to do before the Bonding." Harry explained as he fished out in his robes for his wand in preparation of dealing with the moving tree ahead of them.

"Oh. So how did he Mark you then?"

Harry's face turned bright red at that and he became even more determined to find his wand. "I, uh, I think that might be something you'll want to research out on your own rather to hear it from me." He told her quickly, finally finding his wand and pulling it out of the pocket it had been hiding in. "Imobulus." He called and the branches of the Whomping Willow instantly stilled. "Right then, we need a hole...Can you see a hole anywhere?" He inquired, looking around himself carefully.

"What kind of a hole?" Hermione asked as she stepped forwards, closer to the tree in order to have a look around as well.

"Erm, the note described it as like a big rabbit burrow, big enough for a person to get through."

"Where abouts is it supposed to be?"

"Dunno, wasn't specific." Harry side as he began to wander around the trunk of the tree, searching around the back of it.

Hermione wandered around aimlessly for a few seconds, looking everywhere as she did. When she noticed something which could have definitely been a large rabbit hole, she jogged over to it and got onto her knees in order to peer into the darkness inside. "Harry, I think I've found it." She called to her friend, rising up on her knees and turning her head so she wasn't shouting into the hole.

Harry walked back around the trunk and came to join Hermione by the large hole created from a raised root of the Whomping Willow covered in a ceiling of soil and grass. "Good one Hermione." He praised before moving past her and peering inside himself. "Let me go in first, just to make sure it's all perfectly safe." He reasoned before sitting down and shuffling forwards, easing himself into the hole carefully. When he discovered there was a good six foot drop straight down right after the hole he was glad he took it slowly. He lowered himself carefully, not letting go of the edge of the hole until he was stretched out as much as possible. After touching down with a soft thud, he wiped his slightly dirty hands off on the sides of his trousers before turning around. "Okay Hermione, come down, I'll catch you."

The sounds of shifting came from outside, out of sight, and Harry waited patiently, with his arms outstretched in preparation for a slow, controlled lowering of the Gryffindor girl. Unfortunately, that wasn't what happened. As Hermione began to lower herself in, she either slipped or some earth gave way because, with a squeal, she suddenly came tumbling down through the hole. Harry moved forward quickly, in order to try and catch her, but instead only managed to cushion her fall as he fell backwards and she landed on top of him heavily causing him to grunt sharply in pain.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hermione apologised to him quickly, heaving herself off of him as quickly as she could in the small space they were now in.

"Don't worry about it." Harry reassured her in a slightly strained voice as he pushed himself up onto his feet. He pulled his wand back out from where he had put it away before and held it out in front of himself. "Lumos." He said softly and the familiar silver glow lit up the tip of his wand. Seeing that, Hermione pulled out her own wand and cast the same spell, light from her wand joining Harry's. They both shared a small smile before they set off down the length of the seemingly endless tunnel ahead of themselves, Hermione sticking closer to the older boy.

For what seemed like an eternity they walked through the gloom, their footsteps sounding soft and grainy on the soil which covered the ground they were walking. Eventually, they came to the end of the tunnel and for several minutes, wondered where they were supposed to go next as there was no immediately obvious way out. They were soon alerted by the sound of creaking and groaning and Hermione quickly noticed the square-shaped hole above their heads, its edges lined with wood. After looking up at it and judging roughly how high above them it was, Harry turned back to Hermione and handed her his wand. Then, with an impressive jump and show of strength, he managed to grab hold of the edge of the hole above and pull himself up and out of it. He popped up by a rickety old staircase and rested for a moment in the dust-covered wooden floor. Once he felt able, he moved onto his knees and reached down into the hole to help Hermione out. When he felt her take his hand and stop adjusting her grip, give gave one big heave and managed to lift her high enough for her to grab hold on the edge herself. With that done, it was easier to get her out as they were both taking an active part in it.

"Alright?" Harry checked quickly once she was out completely, getting to his feet and brushing off the copious amount of dust which had clung to his trousers.

"Yeah, fine." Hermione answered, though she did sound a little out of breath.

"Good. We've gotta go upstairs, to a room with a double bed on the left and a stack of old crates on the right when we enter." Harry explained as he helped her onto her feet and then began to lead the way over and up the stairs.

"This doesn't seem right." Hermione mumbled as they carefully walked up the stairs which could be in no way described as safe.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he craned his neck around a corner before they turned it.

"John obviously knew about this place before he told you to come here but then why hasn't he told Ron or myself about it before? And he's never left our company for long enough to come here on his own. And that second hole we had to come up through; how could John manage that on his own? You only just managed to grab hold of the edge and pull yourself up. John's about my height and I couldn't have got up if I had been on my own."

"So what are you saying exactly?"

"I don't know, it all just seems a little odd." Hermione answered as they reached the top of the stairs and came to a small landing with a door in front of them, one to their left and one to their right. Harry peered into each one, starting with the right one before finally finding the room they wanted behind the left hand door. They both entered to find it empty of people and completely still. "Are you sure the note was written in John's handwriting?"

"I checked it for spells and there was nothing." Harry assured as they moved further into the room, him looking around himself curiously.

"And it looked like his handwriting?"

"I guess." Harry shrugged.

"You guess?"

"Well I've hardly spent a lot of time around him, I don't know what his handwriting looks like." He pointed out reasonably.

"You don't know what his handwriting looks like? Harry, that note could've been written by anybody then!" Hermione cried in exasperation.

"Why would anyone else want to write it though? To lure us here? Like this is all some sort of trap?" Harry asked, naturally thinking he was joking.

"Exactly." A horribly familiar voice sneered just before the door slammed shut behind them suddenly.

The two Gryffindor teens spun around instantly and Harry's face creased in a glare when he saw who it was through a jagged hole in the door. "Pettigrew!"

"Hello Harry." The fat, rat man sneered through the hole. It was quite amazing that spending so many years in Azkaban he could still easily be called chubby. Inside, Harry cursed himself for taking the event with Elincia, when she had killed a rat all those months ago, for granted. Since nothing had happened since then, he simply assumed that the rat had been Pettigrew and so had let his guard down. He never would have accepted a note, even if it was apparently signed by his brother, had he known that Pettigrew was still running around.

"You wrote the note." Hermione accused.

"Very clever." He praised mockingly. "Too bad that's been countered by your completely stupid move of coming here when you weren't invited because now, you have to die too."

"No one's dying tonight." Harry corrected, stepping in front of Hermione to shield her and holding his wand up more to threaten and frighten the cowardly man than actually intending to defend them with it.

"That's true, if the company you have in there manages to control himself." The ratty man smirked before he turned and disappeared from sight.

"Hey, wait!" Harry cried, running forward and looking out of the hole to see Pettigrew retreating down the stairs.

"Oh, I almost forgot; do say hello to Remus for me." Pettigrew sneered, turning to look back over his shoulder before running off down the stairs, making horrible creaking thuds with each step which really should've shattered the wooden steps.

Harry leaned forward to watch through the gap as the fat man waddle off before pulling back and grabbing the door handle. "Ugh, it's locked!" He growled angrily after shaking it several times. "He must've used a locking charm. Damn it! Why I didn't I have a dream or a vision warning me about all of this? I've always had warnings before anything's actually happened, why not this time?"

"Did he tell us to say hello to Professor Lupin for him?" Hermione checked nervously.

"He used to be one of his friends along with Black and Potter." Harry grunted as he uselessly shook the door again, totally unaware of the fact that Hermione had inched herself closer to him and was looking around them fearfully, as thought searching for something she fully expected to see but desperately didn't want to. "Oh for the love of Havanack, how can such a rickety, run-down door be locked so well? I wonder if I can manage to break whatever spell it was he used." He mumbled mostly to himself as he fished around inside his robes for his wand. However, when a very loud, very definite howl of pain came from the back of the room, Harry paused but didn't turn around. "What was that?"

"Oh no...Professor Lupin's in here with us." Hermione breathed, taking a step or two back and grabbing for the older boy's arm.

Another pained howl came as the stack of old, dusty, wooden crates jerked slightly, creating a creepy scraping sound and sending up a cloud of dust made visible by the moon light which was shining in through the window to their left. "What do you mean Professor Lupin's in here with us?" Harry questioned slightly desperately, swinging around to stare over at the crates with wide eyes.

"He's a werewolf, that's why he's been missing classes." She revealed, not taking her eyes off of the stack of crates which was obviously hiding the transforming werewolf from their view.

"How in Merlin's name did you find that out?" Harry gasped in horror as another howl came and he caught a quick glimpse of something grey move through a gap in the crates.

"Soon after Professor Snape set the essays; they put the idea in my head."

Just then, the creature behind the crates gave one, almighty howl before the crates were swept away with one massive swipe of its clawed paw. Harry quickly pulled Hermione behind him to shield her from any splinters of wood that might sail their way as the crates hit the floor and shattered with a loud crash. After wincing at the sound, the two Gryffindors looked up to see there was, indeed, a massive, fully grown werewolf standing on the other side of the room to them, no more than ten feet away from them.

For several seconds, none of them moved, all of them just staring at what was opposite to them. Then, suddenly, Harry seemed to snap out of some kind of trance. He swung around, wand in hand, and pointed it at the lock of the door. "Alohomora!" He hissed quickly. He tried to open the door but found it was still locked. "Alohomora!" He tried again, shaking his wand at the lock several times.

"Harry, wait." Hermione instructed before moving forwards a few steps.

"Hermione, what do you think you are doing!" Harry demanded, turning to look at her quickly.

She ignored him and kept her eyes on the werewolf who was still watching her, not really appearing to be of any particular threat at that moment. "Professor?" She said carefully, pausing as if to wait for an answer. "Professor Lupin?"

The silence and anticipation hung heavily in the air as the two teenagers waited to see what was going to happen. They both knew that if Lupin had taken his Wolfsbane potion then they would be relatively safe, safe enough in order to escape easily anyway. However, when the werewolf suddenly released a long, drawn out howl which ended in a rather nasty snarl, it didn't take either of them long to realise that there was no humanity left in the creature at that moment.

"That's it, forget spells." Harry cried as he lurched forward and grabbed Hermione's arm. "Close your eyes." He instructed before running a few steps and then charging at the old, worn door which had them trapped with the werewolf. The wood gave way easily and Harry went crashing through in a burst of splintered wood, Hermione being dragged through after him with a startled cry. No time was wasted in the recovery after that and as soon as the dark haired boy's feet had touched down on the floor the other side of the door, he was dashing off, the younger girl being dragged after him.

The stairs were leapt down hazardously, no less than two stairs being jumped at a time, the last five steps completely skipped. The sound of the werewolf followed them the whole way, getting gradually closer which only made the two Gryffindors all the more determined to get away. Upon reaching the trap door they entered from, Harry jumped down there without hesitation, pulling Hermione down with him. They landed rather roughly but thankfully got away with nothing more than some bruising bumps.

"You all right?" Harry checked breathlessly as he scrambled to his feet and held out a hand to help Hermione up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She reassured, taking his hand and allowing herself to be pulled up.

"Good." Harry said simply before he was charging off again, dragging her along with him. "When we get to the way out, you're going first." He told her as they dashed down the dark passageway, only too aware of the sound of the werewolf joining them in the enclosed space.

"But Harry..."

"No time to argue." He interrupted her as they reached the end of the passageway which was illuminated by the light of the full moon which was shining in through the hole they had originally entered through. "Up you go." With no further warning, he grabbed her around the waist and picked her up.

Hermione knew when she was beat and reluctantly began to climb out through the hole. Harry helped her as much as possible, lifting her up until she was able to grab onto the edge of the hole and then lacing his fingers together in order to give her a firm footing to push herself up. It was as she was halfway through climbing up that Harry noticed that the werewolf was now close enough to them that he was able to its yellow eyes shining through the dark again. Finally, Hermione's lower body rose out of the passageway and disappeared over the top. Harry wasted no time in jumping and trying to grab hold of the edge, only he fell short on the first attempt.

"Harry, stun him!" Hermione advised quickly, looking back down the hole and seeing the current situation.

"I can't." Harry told her, taking another jump. "You're able to fight so I'm not allowed to."

"But I've never tried to actually perform..." She mumbled uncertainly, her eyes flickering from Harry to the ever approaching werewolf.

"It doesn't matter, we don't need to." He insisted as he finally managed to grab hold of the edge of the hole. "Help pull me up, quickly."

Hermione did as she was told and grabbed one of Harry's hands. As she pulled on him as hard as possible, he lifted himself with his other hand at the same time as kicking off from the wall he was against. Neither of them no longer had any idea just how close the werewolf was to Harry but having it anywhere near them was too close for comfort. Harry came flying out the hole abruptly, sending Hermione tumbling backwards and him skidding forward for another foot or so outside. Once again, they took no time at all in getting back onto their feet and dashing off again, the Whomping Willow still frozen thankfully.

Once they had left the willow tree behind them, Harry skidded to a stop and grabbed Hermione's arm to hold her back. "Get back to the castle as fast as you can and tell someone what's happened." He managed to pant out, his chest and shoulders heaving with his deep breaths.

"What about you?"

"I'll lead Professor Lupin away from the school. We can't put the other students in danger and being on my own means that I'll be able to defend myself without breaking my vow of pacifism."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, completely." Harry hurried, turning her around in the direction of the school and giving her a small push forwards. "Now hurry." And with that, he turned away from her and faced where the werewolf was now charging towards them. Hermione hesitated a moment before deciding that Harry probably did know what he was doing and then dashed off towards the castle at top speed. Unfortunately, her sudden movement attracted the attention of the werewolf and it changed its course slightly to chase after her. Harry frowned in annoyance at that and glanced around himself, quickly spotting a rock. He dipped down and scooped it up before chucking it at the creature, hitting it on its head in what was more likely a fluke than actual skill. "Oi, over here!"

The werewolf, effectively distracted, turned towards Harry and began to charge after him. Harry, too, turned and began to run away, heading into the Forbidden Forest in hope of being able to lose the creature in the trees. Unfortunately, what with all the running and stress he had already endured, he found his legs tiring terribly. Plus his lungs and muscles were burning from the lack of oxygen getting around his system. He'd have to rest for at least a moment if he was going to keep on avoiding a confrontation with the creature until help came; just because he was now allowed to attack, didn't mean he wanted to.

Finding a large-trunked tree which would be more than enough to cover him for a few minutes, Harry slowed to a stop. He leaned heavily against the tree and panted deeply, leaning over and clutching his aching chest. There was no sound around him which could either be a good thing or a bad thing. Eventually, he straightened up again and, pressed against the trunk as much as possible, he peered around in an attempt to see if the werewolf was anywhere close by. When he saw nothing when looking to his left, he moved around the trunk to look to his right only to find nothing there as well. He instantly relaxed, his shoulders slumping forward and his head bowing, upon seeing that there was nothing on either side; he was safe...

Until a low growling came from in front of him. Harry's head shot back up and he was horrified to see that he hadn't lost the werewolf and, in fact, the monster had moved around in order to surprise him. For a long few moments, they stared at each other before the werewolf gave a howl and began to run towards him.

Harry cringed lightly and pulled out his wand and pointed it at the creature. "Sorry Professor Lupin." He whispered as he steadied his hand. "Expelliarmus." He cried. The spell shot out from the tip of his wand and hurled itself towards the werewolf. Upon hitting it, it sent the creature flying backwards until it collided with a large tree. There was a rather loud thump as the creature hit with the trunk and then it slumped to the ground limply. Harry's first instinct was to rush to the werewolf's side and make sure it wasn't too badly injured, but he stopped himself, instead relishing the fact he no longer had to fight anything.

Slowly, he turned away from the unconscious form of the werewolf, intending on heading back the way he came. However, when a flash of green light suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye, he sped up in a second, diving out of the way of the Killing curse he had no doubt was speeding towards him. The light sailed past him and the large tree, carrying on to disappear in the trees ahead. Harry spun around to look in the direction the spell had come from and saw Peter Pettigrew standing several feet ahead of him, his stolen wand still pointing right at him. The teenager quickly lifted his own wand to the fat man and called out, "Expelliarmus" just as his opponent launched another Killing curse at him. The two spells met half way between them and fought against each other for a second before Harry's spell won. It shattered through the green light, making it fade away into nothing, and then carried on to hit Pettigrew in the chest, sending him toppling backwards and, strangely, disappearing from view instead of landing on ground. Harry took off after him, knowing that he couldn't let the man get away.

Reaching the place Pettigrew had last been standing, Harry saw that the ground stopped rather abruptly, a steep slop leading down to the area of wet ground below, a large mass of murky water taking up most of the space. His gaze instantly fell onto the form of the traitorous Gryffindor who was scrambling for his wand. "Accio wand." Harry called, pointing to the wand. It sailed right over to him and he caught it in his left hand easily as he slid down the dusty, stony slope, small clouds of dirt flying up around his feet. "What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing!" Harry demanded of the man ahead of him as he slowed to a stop and started walking towards him. "You know Voldemort doesn't want me dead! Of all the Death Eaters who might know, you're the one who would definitely know; you were there for crying out loud! You were there when he marked me!"

"The Dark Lord may not have wanted to kill you when he was alive but he's dead now, isn't he? Dead because you killed him!" Pettigrew told him, sounding angry as well and, curiously, slightly upset.

"I did not kill Voldemort, he killed himself." Harry argued and it was basically true; it had been Voldemort's spell which had destroyed the man's body after all.

"But only because of you, because you just had to save your bastard of a godfather! Mark my word boy," the man said in a threatening tone, jabbing a stumpy finger in the teenager's direction. "I will avenge my master's death and then I will raise the Death Eaters again and continue on the Dark Lord's noble work!"

"You? Round up the Death Eaters again?" The dark haired boy sneered. "I'd certainly like to see you try. What makes you think anyone's going to listen to a useless, fat lump like you?"

"I'm sure once the news spreads that I'm the one who killed the adored Boy-Who-Lived, people will start to recognise my skill and power for what it is."

"And how exactly are you planning on killing me without a wand?" Harry challenged him, waving the stolen wand for a moment before slinging it to his side. It landed in the murky water with a plop and that was the last that would ever be seen of it.

"You seem to be forgetting that you still have a wand." Pettigrew sneered.

A tense moment of silence passed then, Harry watching the podgy man warily, unsure of what was about to happen next. However, out of all the various possibilities that could have occurred, Pettigrew running up to him with an amazing amount of speed for such a short, fat man was not one of them and so caught him completely off guard. It wasn't hard for the disgusting man to tackle the teenager to the ground and then start to try and wrestle the boy's wand out of his grip.

For a few minutes they struggled together uselessly until the moment that Harry began to tire from having to fight with such a heavy person. As the teenager weakened, Pettigrew managed to snatch the wand out of Harry's hand before he scrambled off of the boy. Harry immediately got to his feet once the massive weight was off him and he quickly pulled off his pendant, wordlessly releasing his staff which grew in his hand with a shining light. Seconds later, he was in a suitable defensive stance, facing Pettigrew who was pointing his newly stolen wand directly at Harry. They were at a stale-mate. If either attacked first, the other could easily counter the attack before the spell even reached them. They could both die and neither wanted that: Harry didn't want to be a murderer and Pettigrew was too much of a coward to sacrifice himself for "the greater good".

Then, simultaneously, they both felt the sudden chill that seemed to creep up from nowhere. Out of the corner of their eyes they saw the shallow edges of the mass of water to their side ice over rapidly and their breath soon became visible as the ghostly puffs of mist from their mouths. Neither needed to look to know that Dementors were coming. Instead, they stared at each other straight in the eyes, daring the other to take the risk of making the first move.

Pettigrew made his move before Harry could even properly comprehend it. In the blink of an eye, the ratty man had pointed the wand at himself and slowly shrank into the form of a rat. Harry cried out in alarm when he realised what Pettigrew was planning and he quickly ran after him, giving chase as the rat scuttled away. All too soon, the fat rat had disappeared underneath a dark bush and Harry slowed to a stop, glaring at the bush in frustration and blaming it for allowing the Azkaban escapee to run away from him so effectively. That moment could last only a moment though before Harry remembered why it was so cold at that moment and he hurried forwards, over to his wand. Reaching it, he picked it up quickly and then shrunk his staff back into its smaller form in order to save energy. He was going to need to cast the Patronus charm and he didn't need any extra drain on his magic.

The Dementors seemed to appear above him as quick as a flash. One moment he was alone and the next there was a whole swarm of Dementors above him. There could easily be twenty of them, maybe a few more than that and they took it in turns, a few at a time, to swoop down on where Harry was. It was because of the constant attacks that Harry was concentrating more on dodging and avoiding the monsters rather than attempting to cast the Patronus charm; he didn't have the time of the concentration. He was doing quite well, avoiding any confrontations with the Dementors but, by an act of Fate or simple human clumsiness, Harry tripped over his own feet as he dodged a swooping Dementor. Seconds later, he was surrounded. The Dementors took advantage of the moment of weakness and dove at him. Instantly, Harry felt the horrible pull and a terrible sense of complete aloneness swept through him. Tears filled his eyes and a small gasp of pain escaped him as a Dementor swept past.

He was so cold and alone, so terribly alone, and he knew that no one cared, they'd be right there with him if they did. He was abandoned, he was forgotten, no one wanted him. Everyone had left and it was all his fault. There was something wrong with him, there had to be. The Potters had left him at the very beginning of his life and now everyone else had left him because he had lied to them all. Hermione, Fred and George, Lucius, Draco, Severus...

...But wait...No...They hadn't left him, had they? No, they hadn't. It had been two months since everything had become common knowledge and no one who really mattered had left him. His family had accepted it, they insisted they still loved him. Fred and George had understood why he hadn't told them, they had stayed loyal and true. Hermione; she hadn't blamed him for losing her own friends and she had only left him before to go and get help.

He wasn't on his own. He was loved. There were people who loved him...

Harry eyes flew open having clenched shut at some point during his mental torture. The Dementors were still swarming around him but it didn't hurt as much as it had before and the sense of heart-aching loneliness had almost completely gone. He lay on his side, curled into himself, his wand held loosely in his right hand. He felt weak, extremely weak, like every muscle in his body was coated with a layer of lead which was weighing him down. But he felt light inside, he felt the odd sense of confidence which could only come with the full, sure knowledge that he had support, he was loved, he wasn't alone.

With a huge heave of effort, Harry rolled himself onto his back and lifted his right hand, pointing his wand straight above himself. "Expecto Patronum!" He called and pushed all the warm, happy feelings he could muster into the spell. Bright, silver light shot out from his wand immediately, shinning up and outwards, repelling the Dementors who came close to it, sending them flying away like scared flies. Eventually, as the Dementors continued to be sent away by the spell, the light formed the shape of a giant bat with its wings spread wide on either side of its body. Harry couldn't help but think of his father at the sight.

Minutes later, the Dementors were gone and Harry was alone. Gradually, his Patronus faded from sight, the silver dissipating into nothingness. Slowly, Harry brought his right arm down, bringing it to rest by his side. He was in awe. He had never managed to cast a Patronus that bright or large before. The most he'd ever managed was a concave shaped light which was about as big as himself. This was the first time it had taken a shape and it filled him with a sense of pride that he had managed it. But he was drained and wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, paying no mind to the fact this was in no way a safe place to have a nap.

However, when running footsteps reached his ears, the danger all around him became all too apparent. With a wince of effort and strain, Harry pushed himself up into a sitting position before moving onto his knees and pushing himself up the rest of the way. If there was something that wanted him to be their mid-night snack, they were going to have to put up a fight because he wasn't going to take anything laying down. He stood facing the direction he was pretty sure the noises were coming from and stood ready to greet an attacker, his wand pointed, ready. Luckily, it turned out to be un-necessary as it was Hermione who came dashing through the bushes.

"I've found him!" She called behind her before running out into the clearing with him. Upon reaching him, she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own around him tightly. "I'm so glad you're all right! I was so worried. You are all right yeah? No cuts, or bumps or scraps?"

"I'm exhausted but otherwise fine." He assured her with a smile, giving her a small squeeze in return for her embrace.

"Was that your Patronus we saw?" Hermione asked excitedly. Harry nodded. "It was so big and bright, something I would've thought only a mature wizard, someone of Dumbledore's power, could've managed to do that."

Harry could only shrug slightly. "What can I say? I guess I've got some very happy memories."

"Well come on." She instructed him abruptly after smiling at his reason. "Your dad's around here somewhere as well as your godfather, he was visiting when I ran into your dad. They're really worried about you, seems Professor Snape is the one who brews Professor Lupin's Wolfsbane potion but this month he..."

Hermione continued to fill Harry in on the extra details she had discovered as she ducked under Harry's arm to help support some of his weight and they headed off to find the two men who were most likely already heading their way.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

3rd June 1994: Early Morning

As he stood in front of the enchanted window in his father's dimly lit bedroom, staring out at the pouring rain which was outside, Harry thought about what a strange thing the rain was. It could make you feel gloomy but then it could also make you feel warm and safe inside. It could lighten your mood but it could also make you feel worse. The howling wind and crashing thunder which sometimes accompanied it could either frighten or entertain. Yes, the rain was indeed a strange thing, capable of stirring many opposite emotions in the people who watched and listened to it.

For Harry, it was one of the times that the rain made him feel worse and he gazed out at the soaked grounds of Hogwarts forlornly. When he sensed someone coming to stand at his side, he didn't turn or focus on the reflection which would have appeared on the window, just continued to look outside. Silence continued to stretch on before Harry finally broke it himself: "It's odd really, how it always seems to rain just before or just after something like that happens."

"Yes, that is odd." The voice of Lucius agreed behind him.

"Is Father still asleep?"

"Yes, still asleep in his chair having exhausted himself quite enough for one evening as I should think you have too; why are you out of bed?"

Harry shrugged slightly. "I suddenly didn't feel tired." He paused and watched the rain wordlessly for a moment or so before he bowed his head slightly and gave a small, rueful chuckle. "He was right in the end, wasn't he? He said that Pettigrew was a threat to me even if the foul little man had to go through others in order to do it."

"Your father has a very definite knack for saving others from on-coming danger. Of course, that means that he can't see it when it applies to himself so it all balances out in the end." Lucius murmured with a sort of grim humour.

"And I gave him such a hard time about it when he stopped me from going to any Hogsmeade weekends. The whole time it really was for the best."

"There's no point in dwelling on the mistakes of the past. Despite the talent you've shown for being able to predict the future, no one, not even yourself, can expect you to be able to know and see everything. You had reason to think that Severus was being over-protective and you voiced that. Granted, not in the most productive of ways but you did what you felt was right at the time and that is all anyone can expect." Lucius assured, bringing a hand to rest on his godson's shoulder.

"I wonder how Professor Lupin is." Harry murmured, abruptly changing the subject.

"He's coped with his transformation without the aid of a potion before, I'm sure he can cope again." The blonde man reassured though his tone, tinted with a sort of sneering contempt, implied he was merely saying those words to comfort his godson.

"I don't understand how Father could have just allowed Professor Lupin to go without his potion. I mean, I understand that things have been awkward over the past couple of months but surely he could've taken the initiative and checked. And I don't see how Professor Lupin could've done something so foolish as not to go to Father when his supply of potion ran out. Is it any surprise that something bad happened when both were acting so stubborn and foolish?"

"Severus has never been one to worry over anyone but you, he no doubt thought it was Lupin's choice whether to suffer or not. And as for Lupin's choice, I cannot say for sure of course, but I assume that he felt his request for help would not be appreciated or perhaps even turned down completely." Lucius replied.

The dark haired teenager sighed lightly. "This can't go on, not when people are suffering because of it. I'm going to talk to Professor Lupin later, perhaps after breakfast."

"If you think that will be for the best." His godfather said simply.

Another silence took over then as they both stared out of the window and the still-pouring rain which showed no signs of stopping or even slowing down. Despite all of Lucius' words, Harry still felt decidedly melancholy. So, he said nothing more and continued to stare outside with sad eyes.

3rd June 1994: Morning

The moment breakfast had ended, (a breakfast which proved frustrating with the arrival of that day's Daily Prophet which had a small column pondering on Harry's plans for the summer, whether or not he would be spending any of it with the Potters. It must just have been because it was a slow news day as after the first week of the news of his true parentage coming out, the stories had stopped being printed, no doubt due to some intervention from Lucius) Harry was away from Fred and George, (a Third Year Gryffindor girl had told him that Hermione was still asleep) as he went to the DADA classroom in search of Professor Lupin. The man hadn't been at the first meal of the day and Harry couldn't deny that he was a little worried about him after what had happened only a few hours previously. He had no way of knowing whether the professor was going to be in his classroom but it was naturally going to be the first place he looked.

Once in the classroom, he climbed the small flight of stairs up to the private office behind and stretched his arm out in order to knock on the already open door. However, before his hand could make contact with the wood, he froze at the sight of chaos, boxes filled with stuff were piled high. In the middle of the room was Professor Lupin's desk which had been tidied and was almost empty save for a few boxes, several papers and the Marauder's Map which was in use and spread out across the entire desk top.

"Come in Harry." Lupin invited suddenly as he turned around from where he had been busy packing a box with his back to Harry. The dark haired teenager stepped in awkwardly, knowing that he was probably staring at his professor in a completely rude manner but not being able to believe just how beaten up the poor man looked. There was a line of three, deep scratches on his neck which were no doubt from another animal's claws, his skin was more grey in colour than anything and he looked as though he was about to faint at any moment. "I've looked worse, believe me." He assured him with a light smile, obviously recognising the look on the teenager's face.

"You've been sacked?" Harry gasped in dismay, taking note of all the self-packing suitcases and the boxes of stuff.

"No," Professor Lupin said with a shake of his head as he tore up a piece of parchment. "No, I resigned."

"Resigned? Why?"

"It seems that someone has let slip the nature of my condition. Tomorrow morning, the owls will start to arrive and parents won't want...Well, someone like me, teaching their children." The professor answered easily, in a manner which made it clear this wasn't the first time he had run into prejudice in his life.

"But surely Dumbledore..." Harry tried to protest.

"Dumbledore has already risked enough on my account." Lupin interrupted gently, moving around his desk with a definite limp. "And people like me are often...Well, let's just say I'm used to it." Harry felt a swell of guilt turn his stomach to lead and he bowed his head. "Why do you look so gloomy Harry?" His ex-teacher asked kindly, coming to stand at his side.

"This is all my fault. If only I'd told someone where I was going, or if I had shown Hermione the note, she would've seen that it wasn't Potter's handwriting..." He trailed off and continued to stare down at his feet sadly.

"Harry, none of this is your fault. You were just trying to do what was right, for everyone. You wanted to make things right and Pettigrew took advantage of that. You have no reason to feel guilty." Lupin reassured him.

"But it's because of me that you were hurt and you've had to resign. I'm...I'm so sorry." Harry mumbled, sounding completely depressed.

"If anyone should apologise, I should Harry." The man insisted sadly. "For the past few months, I've been treating you far from normally without explanation and for that I'm truly sorry."

"You can hardly be blamed after finding out...Who I really am." The teenager pointed out, basically dismissing the apology without thought.

"Yes, true." Lupin conceded. "However, as I do now know who you are, the first of the official new generation of Marauders, and as I am no longer your teacher, I feel absolutely no guilt in giving this back to you." He said with a light grin, pointing at the Marauder's Map spread out on his desk.

"But shouldn't John get..." Harry began to protest.

"John doesn't deserve it, nor does he have any right to it, now that he is no longer the eldest Potter child." Lupin assured him pointedly, his voice becoming softer towards the end of the sentence.

Harry smiled lightly and looked down at his feet somewhat shyly. "You know, you're the only one who can make being a Potter by blood seem not so bad."

"I'm useful for something then." Lupin joked lightly.

Harry gave a small laugh at that before turning a little more sombre but the small never left his face, only weakened a bit. "I'm going to miss you Sir." He admitted quietly.

"Call me Remus Harry. After all, I'd like to think that we're friends now."

"Alright...Remus." He agreed, testing out the sound of the name as his smile grew a little brighter.

"Good. Now, it's time to say goodbye, though I'm sure we'll meet again. Until then," he paused and gave a side-long look to the Marauder's Map, "mischief managed." He said with a small point of his wand. The details of the Map began to fade and then the parchment neatly folded itself in its place.

Both Harry and Remus looked away from the parchment at the same time and shared a small smile before the older of the two turned and headed out of the room, grabbing a walking stick which was standing beside the door on his way out. Harry watched with a slightly heavy heart as one of the best teachers he'd ever had hobbled out of his sight, reappearing briefly by the door into the classroom before disappearing through it.

A small sigh left Harry then before he glanced around the small room he stood in, alone. He shook his head slightly, though it was unclear what exactly it was directed at, before taking the Marauder's Map and turning to leave, walking swiftly out of the room, back down the steps and out of the classroom door just as Remus had seconds before. However, instead of being able to carry on once he had left the classroom, he came to an abrupt stop when he found Violet standing right in front of him in the middle of the corridor outside. She said nothing to him but she definitely saw him before her gaze dropped to her feet.

"...Hi." Harry greeted her unsurely when it became clear she wasn't going to start this off herself.

"Hi." She returned quietly.

...More silence.

"If, um, if you're looking for Professor Lupin, he's just left." He offered awkwardly.

"I know, I just passed him. I'm...I'm here to see you. Fred and George told me you would be here."

"Oh, I see." Harry murmured, really having no idea how he should be acting or reacting to any of this.

"I heard about what happened last night; are you all right?" Violet checked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, a few bumps and bruises but I'm otherwise fine. How about you? It's been ages since we've spoken."

"I know...That's my fault and I'm sorry." The young girl apologised. "Everything was just...Such a shock. I-I didn't quite know what to think or how to act around you afterwards and John said that I was to stay away from you..."

"That's understandable." Harry reassured, giving his little sister an encouraging smile.

"I'm sorry I ignored you for so long Harry. To tell you the truth, I'm glad it all happened because, well, now it means that you're my brother and I'm your sister." She said, lifting her head finally, with a happy smile and a light blush covering her cheeks.

"Apology accepted." The older boy smiled back brightly at her. "I'm glad you're not bothered about our real relationship."

"I was at first." Violet admitted shyly. "But then I figured that having you as a brother is for the best because I still...Get to be near you."

Harry just couldn't stop smiling after that and he suppressed the desire to laugh out loud in joy. For the first time, he really had a little sister and he could really act like an older brother. It made him feel incredibly light-hearted and proud, deep inside. But then something occurred to him and his happiness faded slightly as he felt the need to address his new-found worry. "Violet, you do know that my relationship with your mum, dad and John probably isn't going to change, right?"

That seemed to sadden the younger Gryffindor but it didn't shatter her mood completely. "I didn't think they would but never say never yeah? I mean, one day you might change your mind and you might decide you want to get to know them."

Harry sighed. "Yes, maybe." He wasn't going to come out-right and deny it even though he wanted to. That would only upset her and he didn't want to do that.

The words he had said had the desired effect of cheering Violet up and her smile brightened again. She moved forward in a few steps and wrapped her arms tightly around Harry's waist in a crushing bear-hug. A small whoosh of breath was pushed out of Harry when she squeezed him but he didn't mind. He just wrapped his arms around the smaller form and squeezed her in return, giving her back a few pats.

A few minutes of that simple embrace passed like they were seconds and when Harry felt an intense gaze settle on him, he looked up to see Draco standing a few feet away, staring at him intently. Even across the distance between them, Harry could see that the Slytherin's eyes were the tell-tale shade of silver. Slowly, in order to make it seem natural, Harry released Violet from his arms. She tilted her head back to give him a confused look and he flickered his eyes towards Draco discreetly. Violet caught on to his meaning immediately and abruptly dropped her arms from around his waist.

"I, uh, guess I'll see you later then Harry." She said quickly.

"Yeah, I'll see ya later." He returned, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. She smiled up at him quickly before hurrying off, turning a corner before she could reach Draco.

And so they were alone. Draco wasted no time once Violet was gone in stalking over towards Harry. The dark haired boy contained a pleased smile as he took a few steps forward himself and met the blonde in a tight embrace, their arms coming around each other the moment they were close enough. Harry buried his face in the Slytherin robe and took in its scent happily while one of Draco's hands cupped the back of his neck, effectively stopping any slight chance that the dark haired boy might be able to pull away before he was supposed to.

"Sev told me what happened, are you all right?" Draco asked gently, continuing to hold onto Harry tightly.

"Yes, I'm completely fine. One or two bruises but nothing worse than that." Harry assured him gently, bringing his hands up to run through the thin strands of blonde hair soothingly. He remembered something he'd read about Veela, both types of Veela, that they were calmed by being in physical contact with their mate during times of stress and he only hoped that petting his best friend's hair would be enough for now at least.

"You should've come and got me, I would've come with you." The Slytherin told him with a slight amount of annoyance in his tone.

"I was expecting to just meet with Potter and make a truce, I didn't know I was going to go up against Pettigrew, a werewolf and a whole bunch of Dementors." Harry pointed out reasonably.

"Merlin, so much could've gone wrong, you could so easily have died..." Draco breathed in horror, holding Harry against him tightly.

"But I didn't, did I? I'm here, with you, quite clearly fine. There's no need to worry anymore Draco, I'm all right, nothing terrible happened." The Gryffindor reassured his Veela before tilting his head up a little and leaning forward, pressing his lips lightly against Draco's mouth in a tender, what he expected to be, brief kiss.

However, when Harry went to pull away, Draco followed his lips like they were connected by a magnet. They stayed connected and Harry felt the soft, slippery pressure of Draco's tongue begging him for entrance. He realised that this wasn't going to stop as a chaste, reassuring kiss like Harry had first intended and, that being the case, they would have to move it somewhere. In the middle of the corridor like this, it was too likely that someone, anyone, could just come along and see them and once the secret was out, it would soon spread across the school.

Insistently, Harry pulled away, intent on getting Draco to at least give them time to get into the DADA classroom behind them. It was the closest and probably the safest place at the moment as Remus had just left. The Luna Veela's eyes had become a shockingly intense shade of silver and Harry knew from another book he'd read that the brighter and more intense the eye colour, the more the animal part of the Veela was in control. He figured with how bright they looked at that moment, Draco wouldn't really be in any mind to listen to reason or anything else. So, instead of speaking, Harry just kept eye contact with the blonde and took his hands in his before starting to walk backwards, leading Draco into the classroom directly behind him. The Slytherin said nothing and did nothing more than follow obediently and eye him attentively.

When they were inside, Harry dropped one of Draco's hands in order to shut the door behind them and take off his glasses and slip them into a pocket in his robes. Then, he pulled Draco towards him sharply, their lips meeting once more. Almost instantly the Veela took control of the situation again. He wrapped his arms around Harry and lifted him up with surprising ease, pushing him back against the shut door in order to keep him up so their faces were level with each other. Harry didn't even think about it when he wrapped his legs around the blonde's waist, his arms coming around his shoulders as well, as he kissed back enthusiastically, enjoying the light-headed pleasure he was experiencing.

For some indistinguishable amount of time, they kissed each other constantly, the intensity varying every so often. It was during a period of Harry peppering soft, teasing, butterfly kisses on Draco's lips, all the while the blonde trying to capture his lips in a more intense kiss, that the growing erections of the two boys brushed together unexpectedly. The sensation that caused made Harry's kisses falter and allowed Draco to finally catch his lips once again. As the Veela gently nipped at the soft flesh of the dark haired boy's bottom lip so that it swelled slightly with warm blood, the Gryffindor moved his hips against the blonde he was pressed against again, causing another spike of pleasure to ripple through them both.

A grin spread across Draco's face and he broke the kiss in favour of pulling Harry flush against him and rocking his hips against Harry's a bit more firmly, encouraging a heavy gasp to escape the smaller boy. "Feeling a little amorous my darling?" He teased lightly, giving another small thrust which was meant to torment more than satisfy. A blush of embarrassment spread across Harry's cheeks and he said nothing in reply causing the blonde to chuckle lightly. "I can smell it on you, you know." He whispered in Harry's ear softly, setting up a steady rhythm of rocking now. "It's intoxicating. So needy, so needy for me..."

Harry gave a very small moan upon hearing those words in that voice and buried his face against Draco's neck in order to hide his bright red face. They hadn't really done anything since Valentines Day and so Harry was hardly used to it, hence the acute embarrassment. It didn't seem to bother the blonde and that was all that really mattered he supposed. As long as it wasn't a hassle to his Veela then there was no real hurry to get used to it immediately.

The classroom was soon filled with laboured breathing from both boys as the grinding continued. Harry was gasping for breath as he moved helplessly against Draco and the blonde met every movement of Harry accordingly while his tongue occasionally snaked out to run along the shell of the dark haired boy's ear, adding to the liquid heat which was spreading through his body. For both boys there was only each other; the sensations they were creating and noises they were making. Reality became nothing more than a haze, a fuzzy nothing which existed only for the purpose of giving them a place to enjoy each other.

When the end came, it came rather abruptly. Draco was the first to release, a light groan leaving him as he moved against Harry in an un-even, erratic pace, nothing like the steady rhythm they had set before. It wasn't quite enough to push Harry over the edge though and when Draco came down from his high, he felt that the Gryffindor was still hard and obviously trying to relieve the pressure if the continuing rolling of his hips was anything to go by. Intent on bringing his mate the same pleasure he'd had, the Veela quickly adjusted his grip on the dark haired boy so he was still supporting his weight against the wall but he had a free hand which he used to quickly loosen the Gryffindor's belt and trousers.

Harry gave a appreciative moan when he felt Draco's hand slip into his trousers and underwear and wrap around his erection firmly. Already being close, it only took three swift strokes to send him over the edge. He shuddered against the Veela, feeling his nerves tingle with release, every muscle tensed, arms curled around Draco's shoulders and his hands fisting the Slytherin robes tightly.

When the initial, sharp pleasure had faded to a warm after-glow, Harry's eyes fluttered open, looking slightly dazed and out of focus, much to Draco's satisfaction. Silver eyes alight with triumph, a light smirk covered the blonde's lips as he pulled out his wand and cast a quick cleaning charm on himself and Harry to rid themselves of the evidence of their releases before slipping the wand away and wrapping his arms comfortably around the limp Gryffindor.

"I love you." Draco murmured gently in Harry ear as he eased him onto his feet, nuzzling his nose against the smaller boy's flushed cheek.

"And I love you." Harry returned in a slightly dopey voice.

"You've never told me that before." Draco noted, a bright grin suddenly spreading across his face as his heart soared.

"The opportunity never came up."

"How long?"

"A month or two maybe since I realised I've fancied you for ages and since I already loved you..." Harry mumbled, his cheek resting on the blonde's shoulder comfortably.

"...What in Merlin's name are you yammering on about?" Draco laughed lightly, the silver having mostly faded from his eyes now.

"Ugh, don't ask me this now, I'm no good for anything in the after-glow." Harry muttered with a light grin.

Draco laughed again, a little louder this time. "Alright, alright, I'll let you bask for a little longer then but I'll want to know later."

"If you want." The dark haired boy mumbled, before closing his eyes and relaxing completely again. Draco pressed a light kiss to the side of his head as he brought his hand up to cradle the back of the head of dark hair. After that, nothing more was done or said.

3rd June 1994: Midday

"Harry!"

The Fifth Year Gryffindor paused and turned upon hearing his name called by the familiar voice of Hermione. The twins, standing either side of him, turned as well and they all watched as the younger girl hurried over to them, looking the most cheerful since the whole messy ordeal of Harry's parentage coming out.

"Hey Hermione." Harry greeted her with a smile as she reached them.

"Alright there 'Mione?" Fred asked her as they all started walking towards the Great Hall again, him moving around to walk next to George to allow Hermione room to walk next to the dark haired boy.

"I'm more than all right, Ron just apologised for the way he's been treating me." She told them with no small amount of triumph in her tone.

"That's wonderful Hermione, but then why aren't you wherever he is? Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with you but surely you want to spend some time with him now that you've made up?" Harry pointed out.

"He may have apologised but he's still decided to pick John over me." Hermione answered with a light sigh. "John still hasn't said anything to me and I don't think he will, not for a long time. I don't blame Ron for choosing to stick with John, he is a boy after all."

"Doesn't that hurt your feelings?" George asked sympathetically.

"No, not anymore. I know I did the right thing when I didn't tell him about what was going on. If he wants to be a baby then he can be and I'll stay with my real friends." As she ended, she linked her arm with Harry's.

"At least Ron got his act together and stopped acting like a prat." Fred noted as they entered the Great Hall and headed for their seats.

"Well, partly anyway, he's still choosing Potter over 'Mione." George pointed out.

"That's true." Fred agreed as they all sat down with each other. "I think that justifies a bit of torment over the summer holidays, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, just a bit." George grinned.

"Speaking of the summer holidays, the Quidditch World Cup's coming to us this year." Fred remembered excitedly. "Dad's gonna take us all, wanna come?" He asked Harry as he reached for a goblet of pumpkin juice and began to pour for himself and George.

"I don't know if Uncle Lucius is taking me and Draco or not. He said something about VIP seating with the Minister of Magic. You guys could always come with us, they'll probably be better seats." Harry offered.

"No offence mate but there are no seats on the planet which are good enough to justify sitting through an entire Quidditch match in the company of Lucius Malfoy." George muttered.

"He's not that bad." The dark haired boy protested, slightly offended on behalf of his godfather.

"Not to you, he's probably perfectly lovely to you..." Fred said.

"...But unless your name is Haryon Snape, Severus Snape or Draco Malfoy..." George continued.

"...He thinks you're scum."

"I think "scum" is a bit harsh." Hermione spoke up. "But I do understand what you mean. Your godfather isn't the nicest of men Harry." She told the dark haired boy gently.

"There's nothing wrong with Uncle Lucius. His attitude and beliefs are just a little...Dated."

"You mean bigoted." George grunted.

"Hey!" Harry snapped with a glare.

"That was going a bit too far George." Fred chastised him with a frown.

Just then, luckily before anyone could say anything else and start a huge argument, the owls carrying the midday post began to descend and an unfamiliar brown one landed in front of Harry. Its presence stalled all conversation as the four teenagers looked at it as though it was an alien. It just stood there patiently, obvious waiting for the letter around its leg to be removed.

"Do you recognise that owl?" Harry asked curiously, carefully reaching for the letter, avoiding the owl's beak just in case it was nippy.

"Looks a bit like Pig." Fred noted.

"No, it's too big to be Pig and it's not hoping around like its got fleas." George pointed out.

"It's John's parents' owl." Hermione told them quietly, obviously not enjoying being the bringer of bad news. That brought a bad atmosphere among the friends.

"Why're they writing to Harry?" Fred demanded indignantly.

"One way to find out." Harry shrugged as he brought the envelope closer, ripped it open without care and pulled out the parchment inside. A tense moment of silence passed as the other three Gryffindors waited for the dark haired boy to finish reading. It seemed to stretch forever until Harry calmly laid down the parchment. "They want me to spend a week or so with them during the holidays."

None of them spoke, all too surprised. The Potters had invited Harry to spend some time with them, a whole week in fact. Where they insane? Did they really think that was going to work in any way?...Could it work? Should the chance be given? Could Harry really ignore his connection with the Potters forever? Maybe it would be for the best if he took the opportunity now...

"What are you going to do?" Hermione's voice gently interrupted Harry's thoughts.

Slowly, the dark haired Gryffindor lifted his head and looked around himself. He looked over to Draco who was talking to a Slytherin boy he didn't recognise. Then, he looked to the Head Table, over to Severus who was keeping to himself as usual. How would they, and Lucius, feel if he decided to spend time with the Potters? Would their feelings be hurt? Would they miss him? Would it ruin everything they'd work so hard to maintain? And then he turned to look further down the Gryffindor table. He saw Johnathan first, talking with Ron and the other boys in his Year group. Could he spend a whole week with him? Further along the table, Violet was giggling like a hyena at something a friend of hers had obviously said. Should he make the effort for her sake?

"Harry?" Hermione said gently, resting a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Harry took in a deep breath and lifted his head. His eyes stayed on the parchment on the table though, just staring at it as though his answer was somewhere on the surface and was only visible if you looked at it really hard. Eventually, he gave a sigh and seized the letter before ripping it neatly in two right down the middle. Neither the Weasley twins or Hermione passed comment on that as none of them were particularly surprise by it.

"I told them I don't need them as my family and I'll stand by that." Harry told them in a firm voice, as though they'd asked for an explanation.

"You should probably write back to them and let them know though." Fred murmured.

Harry nodded. "I will, later." He agreed before giving the owl, who still hadn't left, a bit of bread he pulled off of the side of his sandwich.

Maybe one day he would accept the invitation and he would get to know the people who had given him life but for that moment, he was happy with how he was. He didn't need another father and he had done quite well for himself without a mother so far, he didn't need one now. And they didn't really need him. This was all out of an odd sense of duty they felt no doubt. They had a son, they had a daughter, they didn't need him and he was more relieved by that than anything else.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

20th June 1994: Afternoon

The peace and quiet of the lazy, late June afternoon was suddenly interrupted by a rather startled cry and then a heavy thump, like that of a body hitting the ground. And then everything went silent and still again, as though nothing had happened. For Harry and Draco though, they were only too aware that something had happened.

"Ugggghhhhh..." Harry groaned mournfully from where he had landed awkwardly on the ground having fallen out of the tree he and Draco had been sitting in.

"Harry! Don't move!" Draco ordered him as he quickly jumped down from branch to branch of the tree before dropping onto the ground below. He dashed over to where Harry was laying completely still though quite obviously still conscious. "Are you all right? Is anything broken?" He checked worriedly, kneeling down next to his best friend.

"My ankle feels like it's been snapped in two and then glued back together." Harry answered with a wince halfway through as he tried to sit up properly.

"I told you not to move!" Draco scolded him instantly.

"You also told me that climbing that tree was a good idea and look what good that did me." The dark haired boy grunted.

"You should've paid attention to where you were putting your feet."

"Oh no, you're not pinning this on me Draco Malfoy. This," he jabbed his finger at his injured ankle. "Is not my fault."

"Whose fault is it then?" Draco inquired with a small grin of amusement.

"I don't know but it's not mine." Harry pouted, turning his face away from Draco. "Personally, I blame you and the tree."

Draco smirked lightly at that. "Well, if it's my fault then, I suppose the least I can do is try and make it better." He murmured before leaning down and pressing his lips against those of the injured boy below him.

Soon, the kiss deepened as their tongues met, Draco's coaxing Harry's into action. Harry had been growing gradually more confident when it came to being with his Luna Veela and so once he had been more involved, he became a more than enthusiastic participant. He brought his right hand up to hold the back of Draco's head, keeping the blonde's head in place, and lazily ran his tongue along his mate's in order to draw it into his own mouth where he captured it between his teeth gently and then began to suck on it lightly. A groan of appreciation came from deep within Draco's chest and he slipped his hand inside Harry's shirt, his fingers leaving little trails of fire where they brushed across the bare skin of his chest.

That sensation caused Harry to writhe slightly in pleasure but that movement only served to remind him of his ankle. He pulled away from the kiss abruptly in favour of releasing a hiss of pain, his entire body immediately tensing in reaction in an attempt to stop the pain from happening again. Draco, when completely sure that there was nothing life-threatening wrong with Harry, sighed lightly in disappointment before standing slightly, stepping over the dark haired boy and then crouching down with his back towards the Gryffindor.

"C'mon, we'd better get some ice or something on that ankle." The Slytherin ordered and Harry knew what he was expected to do.

So, gathering his courage, he quickly shifted himself closer to the blonde, frowning in discomfort as his ankle was constantly jarred and pain shot through his leg. He never paused, only stopping all movement when he was in the correct position, sitting behind Draco with his legs spread out on either side of him. Slowly, carefully, gently, Draco looped his arms around Harry's legs and pulled him closer so the smaller boy's chest was flush against his back. Once Harry's arms were around his neck securely, he stood up in one smooth motion.

"All right?" Draco checked, shifting Harry's weight slightly into a more comfortable position for himself.

"Yep." Harry assured, nuzzling the side of Draco's neck before placing a small, wet kiss in the same spot.

"Oi, none of that thank you. You had your chance and you decided your ankle hurt more so now you've got to live with it." Draco scolded playfully.

Harry snorted in disbelief. "Oh right, who are you trying to kid? A couple more minutes worth of work on your neck and you'd be a big pile of goo."

"If things were different, I would have a wonderful time in proving you wrong. As it is, I'm busy concentrating on walking and you're not light enough to carry around all day so please leave my neck alone until we're safely locked in my bedroom and I can ravish you in return." Draco said with a clear smirk in his tone.

"You don't need to though." Harry told him, resting his chin on his best friend's shoulder as the blonde moved them along across the huge expanse of grassy land which was the majority of the Malfoy's back-garden. "You're always the one doing stuff to me, all I ever do is react."

"You don't like it?"

"No, I never said that, I'm just thinking about you. Surely, sometimes, you'd like to just be able to lay back and receive without having to worry about giving too?"

"But I like giving you pleasure." Draco insisted gently as he turned his head to the side in order to look Harry in the eyes. "And if you could see yourself when I've made you come, you'd understand why." He leered quietly.

"Draco!" Harry cried, mortified, a huge blush covering his cheeks.

"You're so adorable." Draco laughed in amusement before he pecked a kiss on Harry's cheek and then turned his head back to look ahead of himself, seeing that they were coming up to the manor.

The last few minutes of their journey were spent in silence as Draco walked them up and inside the massive mansion. Moments after getting inside, they were surprised by Dobby who popped up abruptly in front of them. The little house-elf seemed to be about to speak before he noticed that Harry was being carried on Draco's back and then his face feel. "Oh, Mister Haryon Snape, is you hurt? Do you need Dobby to assist you?"

"I'm fine Dobby, really. It's nothing serious." Harry reassured the house-elf with a smile.

"And he's already in my care, if he needed your help he would've asked for it." Draco snapped irritably at the poor house-elf.

"But Master Draco, Sir, Master Malfoy requests your presence in his office immediately." Dobby told him slightly fearfully.

"Why?"

"Dobby doesn't know Master Draco, Sir. Master Malfoy just told Dobby to come and get you." The house-elf explained.

"Well you'll just have to tell him he'll have to wait; I need to tend to Harry." Draco said by way of dismissal to his house-elf.

"No Draco, you need to speak to your father." Severus said as he swept into the room the young Malfoy with Harry on his back was standing in with the house-elf. "I will tend to whatever it is that Haryon needs assistance with."

Draco glared at his godfather angrily for a moment before giving a huff. "Fine." He muttered darkly and Harry took the initiative to start the process of climbing off Draco's back. Carefully, Harry was eased back onto his good foot, the one attached to his injured ankle remaining off of the floor. "I'll see you in my room in a couple of minutes, I doubt this will take long." Draco assured him before turning and leaving the room, heading in the direction of Lucius' office.

Now alone, Severus moved to his son's side and brought an arm around the teenager's waist while he made Harry sling an arm around his shoulders. "Bring a length of bandages, a large cloth and some ice to the parlour." The stern man ordered Dobby without looking at the house-elf as he began to gently lead Harry forward, making sure to support as much of the boy's weight as possible.

"Yes Mister Professor Snape Sir, right away." Dobby confirmed before he disappeared with a pop.

"Do I want to know what happened?" Severus sighed as he and Harry entered the parlour slowly.

"I fell out of a tree." Harry mumbled.

Severus gave him a look of pure disbelief. "You fell out of a tree? What were you doing up a tree?"

"It was Draco's idea." The dark haired boy muttered, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Aren't you both a little too old to be climbing trees for amusement?"

"Like I said, it wasn't my idea and you know how hard it is to tell Draco no when he sets his mind on something."

"Indeed." Severus murmured as they reached a sofa and he helped Harry to sit down carefully. "You landed awkwardly when you fell then?" He summarised as he knelt in front of his son and began to gently remove the teenager's shoe and the sock underneath.

"Yeah." Harry sighed glumly, looking down to where his father was taking infinite care with the shoe. "It's not broken or anything, is it?"

"I highly doubt it but it would probably be better if it were; bones are easier and can be healed more quickly than strained ligaments and damaged muscles." The man revealed as Dobby popped into the room without word, set down everything Severus had asked for within arms reach of the Potions Master, before leaving again.

Finally, the shoe on Harry's injured foot had been loosened sufficiently so that it could be removed without any effort and so very little movement of the foot and ankle. With the shoe removed, the sock was carefully rolled down, causing Harry only a few minor twinges of pain as it went. Then, when the sock was gone, long, pale fingers gently felt around the swollen ankle, checking for breaks in the bone. That was a lot more painful and several times Harry had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying anything and consciously control his leg muscles so he didn't try and kick his father away.

After what seemed like an age of his ankle being squeezed and suffering from sharp shoots of pain, Severus finally reached for the ice before sitting on the sofa a space away from his son and then bringing the boy's injured ankle to rest on his lap. "As I thought, nothing's broken, you've just twisted it rather badly. You'll need a bandage around it for a few days for support and I'll make you a pain killer later."

"An oral one or one of those horrible creams?" Harry asked warily as his father gathered the ice in the large piece of cloth, bundled it all together and then pressed it to his ankle.

"It will most likely be an oral one since Your Highness complains about the creams." Severus replied in a monotone, giving Harry a slightly chiding look.

"They make my eyes sting!" Harry protested indignantly.

"Prince and the pea."

"I believe that was the princess and the pea." The teenager corrected him.

"You wished to be referred to as a princess then?" His father inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Harry blushed at that and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing what to say. Eventually, he just looked away and crossed his arms in a slightly huff manner. "Oh, hush your mouth." He muttered.

Severus chucked lightly at that, at the same time as moving the ice away from Harry's ankle now that the swelling had gone down and summoning the pile of bandages over to them. "A wonderful come-back."

Harry shot a glare at the man before snuggling down against the arm of the sofa he was leaning against. "Do you know what it is that Uncle Lucius and Draco are talking about?" He inquired, wanting to change the subject.

"Lucius is breaking the news to him that they'll be spending the next two months or so in France." Severus answered as he began to wrap the length of bandage around Harry's ankle so that it gave a firm, supportive pressure.

"A two month holiday?" Harry gasped in surprise. "I know Uncle Lucius likes his luxuries but surely two months is a little overboard? And what about the Quidditch World Cup? I thought he was going to take me and Draco?"

"It's not a holiday they're going on." Severus corrected patiently. "They're going to visit a community of Veela so that Draco can learn about his Inheritance." He paused and looked at Harry. "I doubt you remember, but Narcissa was a Luna Veela as she was born during a Blue Moon period. We don't know for sure whether Draco will inherit anything from her but Lucius wants him to have some experience and knowledge just in case. If anything will happen to him, it will happen soon as he's just had his sixteenth birthday."

Harry sat there silently, not sure what to think or how to feel. On the one hand, he was glad that Draco was going to get a chance to learn about himself and what he was experiencing but on the other hand, he would be gone for two months; two months without Draco there with him. They had spent long periods of times away from each other, like when Draco went to spend a few weeks with his Slytherin friends, but never for such a long stretch of time. And things were different now. They were together, they were in love, he didn't want to be without him for so long. But he couldn't be so selfish. What Draco would learn in France, it would be stuff he needed to know and it would be stuff which would probably help Harry as well. If he was going to be the mate of a Luna Veela, he'd need more information on how to expect Draco to act and how to handle him in certain situations.

"As for your trip to the Quidditch World Cup," Harry abruptly realised that his father had continued to speak the entire time he was lost in his own thoughts, "as Lucius and Draco will be unable to attend and I have no desire to experience it in any way, you may contact the Weasleys and ask them if their offer to take you is still available."

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly, his mood immediately cheering at hearing that.

"Yes, I see no reason why you should miss it." Severus confirmed, smiling slightly at his son's enthusiasm as he finished off attaching the bandage, tying it off neatly at the side.

"Oh, thank you!" The teenager grinned happily as he lurched forward to hug his father, ignoring the pain in his ankle at the sudden movement.

"You're welcome." The man assured, giving Harry's shoulder a few pats.

Suddenly, before either of them could say anything more, there was a crash from somewhere in the manor. Both Severus and Harry shared a startled look before they heard Lucius' yell. "Draco, we have not finished this yet!"

"Yes we have!" Draco's voice retorted angrily. "I will not go and you cannot make me! I told you my reasons and I would think that you would respect them! I'm not a child!"

"Then stop acting like one! This isn't just a holiday Draco, this is to help you, so that you can learn about the changes you'll be going through."

"I don't care what it is! Holiday or educational thing, you can take it and shove it up your pompous arse because I am not going!" Draco practically screeched just before heavy, hurried footsteps going up the stairs started.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, come back down here immediately!" The elder Malfoy boomed, causing Harry to flinch back instinctively, despite the fact the yell wasn't even directed at him.

Severus seemed to notice it and he frowned. "Lucius, do lower your voice." He called to his friend as he gave Harry a reassuring squeeze.

"Do not tell me what to do Severus, not right now, I am not in the mood." Lucius voice replied in the same angry tone he had used with Draco, it becoming louder as it went on signalling that the blonde man was obviously coming closer.

"And neither Haryon or myself are in the mood to hear you both yelling at the tops of your voices." Severus replied easily, glaring at the doorway he knew Lucius would enter from. Sure enough, the aristocrat came striding in no more than a few moments later, looking extremely annoyed. "And why exactly is it that Draco's refusing to go to France?" He inquired easily, now obviously not bothered by Lucius' foul mood as he was no longer yelling at the top of his voice.

"He says he doesn't need to go." Lucius sighed tiredly before looking to Harry in a rather pointed way which made Harry feel practically naked. "Could you try and talk to him Haryon? It really is for the best that we go and he may be more willing to listen to you than either myself or your father."

Harry hid his surprise and shock well, remaining natural on the outside while his heartbeat accelerated drastically. Did Draco tell Lucius about the two of them being together? And if he did, did Lucius mind? Was he blaming him for Draco choosing not to go? Was he going to try and convince Draco that they weren't mates and get him to choose someone else?

"Haryon?" Severus asked suddenly, breaking Harry from his slightly panicked thoughts.

"Oh! Erm, uh, sure I, er, I'll go have a word with him." Harry agreed quickly, perhaps a little too quickly really, as he scrambled off of the sofa and hurried out of the parlour, limping the entire way. It never occurred to him that leaving Lucius and his father alone might give the blonde the perfect opportunity to tell him anything that Draco might've said, he was just intent on getting away from the situation as quickly as possible.

The stairs were more than a little bit of a challenge to climb and eventually Harry gave up on making his way up carefully, instead opting to ignore the pain and hurry up the stairs. When he finally reached the top, his ankle was throbbing with a constant pain but at least he no longer had anything more to climb. He allowed himself a moment to let the sensation to subside slightly before hobbling on again, walking the last few feet towards Draco's bedroom door. Unsurprisingly, it was shut, so Harry gave a few soft knocks on it.

"Piss off." Draco's voice yelled from inside.

Harry squelched the surprise and the slight hurt he felt upon hearing that before speaking: "Draco, it's me."

A few seconds of silence passed as Harry waited for something, anything, to happen. Then, all in the blink of an eye, the door flew open and an arm shot forward, grabbed his arm and yanked him in. Harry winced as he was forced to put pressure on his injured ankle and he stumbled slightly as it gave way beneath him. Draco's arms came around him to stop him from falling completely but he said nothing; no words or apology, no inquiry as to what was wrong. The blonde just held him close and pressed his face against Harry's neck. The dark haired teenager sighed lightly and brought his hand up to run through Draco's hair in a comforting manner as he pressed a kiss to the side of his head.

"I don't want to go." Draco murmured quietly, not lifting his head.

"I know." Harry sympathised.

"I won't go."

"...You have to." The dark haired boy replied carefully, knowing that wouldn't be what the Veela in his arms would want to hear.

Sure enough, within moments of those words leaving the smaller boy's mouth, Draco had pulled away completely, taking a few steps back, his eyes glaring at Harry and filled with hurt. "You want me to go? You want me to leave?"

"No Draco, this isn't about me wanting you to go, it's about you needing to go." Harry told him gently, limping over to the bed in order to sit down and rest his ankle. He could feel Draco watching him carefully and he could just imagine that the blonde was fighting against his instincts to go to his side and help him. "In the next few months, you might be changing Draco and we all need to learn how to deal with it." He explained himself as he sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the Veela carefully. "And there are things you need to learn for yourself, like how to find your mate..."

"I don't need to find my mate!" Draco cried angrily, running his hands through his hair in agitation. "You're my mate! You're the one I love, you're the one I want, I don't need to find anything or anyone else!"

"Then you need to go to find out what's going to happen with us." Harry told him sensibly.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked carefully.

"If you're going to come into you Inheritance then you're going to start to change, aren't you? Being your mate, I'll need to know how to handle you, what to do, what not to do, what to expect. You can't expect me to go into this blindly Draco, that isn't fair." Harry told him with gentle firmness. "Please Draco, please go on this trip, if only for me, to put my mind at rest and make me feel as though at least one of us knows what's going on."

Draco said nothing and glared off to the side. "What about the World Cup? We promised we'd take you."

"Father said I can go with the Weasleys as long as they still don't mind taking me." Harry reassured him.

"So you'll be going with the Weasleys, camping out with all those other people from around the world, all with exotic accents and interesting backgrounds..."

"I'm not going to stray away if that's what you're worried about." Harry interrupted him there, guessing where this was going considering he knew that Veela were naturally jealous creatures. "I told you I love you and I mean it. Even if someone who looked exactly like you and spoke exactly like you and acted exactly like you came along, I wouldn't do anything because it wouldn't be you. No one means as much to me as you do, no one ever could."

Once again Draco said nothing for a while after that but occasionally his eyes flickered up to look at Harry before darting off him again. Eventually, the blonde slowly made his way over to where Harry was sitting and knelt down in front of him. Harry watched as Draco knelt in front of him and gently lifted his bare foot and bandaged ankle. "Does it hurt?" He asked quietly, not looking up.

"Only when I'm putting pressure on it."

"Good." Draco murmured, running his fingers along the bare skin on the top of his foot before lowering it back down again. Then, he knelt up and wrapped his arms around Harry gently, holding him close so they were flush against each other. "I love you so much Harry." He whispered, his voice filled with adoration.

"And I love you." Harry returned, pecking a kiss to the top of Draco's head before relaxing against the blonde completely, savouring the moment he'd soon have to go without for a few months.

10th July 1994: Early Morning

The house was grey, its walls old and the floorboards creaked at even the slightest pressure applied to them. It was like something from a Victorian horror novel, you just expected a ghost or a vampire or Frankenstein's monster to come ambling around a corner suddenly. It wasn't exactly frightening, more like nerve-wracking. He was anticipating something which He didn't know when, or even if, it would happen.

The corridors were traversed slowly, the stairs were climbed carefully, each groan and moan of the old wood causing Him to flinch, instinct trying to ready Him for the ground to fall away from beneath His feet. The ground never did give way though and in that respect He remained safe. Not that He felt safe or even thought that where He was, was a safe place. He was there for a reason and He felt on edge for a reason and until He had evidence to prove Him otherwise, His pulse would continue to race and He would remain completely alert.

And then, He had reached the top of the stairs and He was no longer alone. An old man stood just outside a slightly open door which allowed a crack of faint light to shine through. The man obviously wasn't invited to whatever it was that was happening inside the room as his posture and facial expression made it clear that he was eaves-dropping. Slowly, He crept up to the man and stood beside him. The man shivered slightly at that but He ignored it, putting it down to the chilly atmosphere which hung heavily in the house, strangely as it was the middle of the summer and even the nights were warm at that time. He moved into a suitable position to join the old man in peering through the crack and a gasp escaped him at what he saw.

Peter Pettigrew knelt in front of a very old, worn arm chair which looked incredibly moth-eaten, dusty, the colour was faded from what was no doubt a wonderful shade of crimson to a dull red and there were several rips all over which allowed bits of the stuffing to poke out. The way the chair was angled made it impossible for Him to see who it was who was sitting in the chair but His gut instinct was more than enough for Him to go on. Abruptly, Pettigrew moved to the side and another man, someone who He didn't recognise, took up the place Pettigrew had vacated. The man's lips moved in speak but no words came out and He frowned in frustration, wishing desperately that He could lip read.

The sudden jerking of the old man beside Him caught his attention and He looked to see the man looking down at the floor in horror. He followed the gaze and His eyes widened in horror as well. A massive, terribly familiar snake was sliding past their feet, through the slightly open door. His hands flew to cover His mouth as what was about to happen dawned on Him. He tried to get the old man to notice Him, to hear Him, but it was useless; He couldn't even hear Himself.

The door was suddenly yanked open the whole way and He stepped back in a natural movement of surprise. Pettigrew stood there in front of them, terrifying them both. Slowly, an evil, malicious sneer crossed the fat man's face and he stepped away. To His horror, a green light raced towards Him and the old man and He screamed at the top of His lungs...

"No, don't, please!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry sat up in an instant, tears prickling the backs of his eyes, sweat slicking his forehead, his heart-rate racing, his chest heaving and an odd burning sensation throbbing the scar on his forehead. He looked around himself, slightly panicked, and soon realised that he was still in his own bed in his bedroom at his home in the Welsh country-side. With a shaking hand, he reached for the lamp on his bedside table and gave it a small tap to bring the flame inside to life before reaching for his glasses and slipping them on. A ragged breath left him as he closed his eyes and pressed the heel of his right hand to his scar.

When his bedroom door suddenly banged open, his head shot up and his eyes flew open, only to see that it was merely Severus: wand in hand, dressed in a floor-length, black flannel dressing gown and looking more than a little flustered. Harry relaxed upon seeing him though and he bowed his head again, his eyes closing tiredly.

"What happened?" The man, who still managed to look rather foreboding even in a dressing gown, asked carefully, sounding rather suspicious, his dark eyes shifting around the barely lit room constantly.

"I had a dream." Harry murmured quietly. "But it was so real. I was in a house, an old house, somewhere...Somewhere I don't know, and there was a man there, I don't know who he was, and he was standing at the top of a flight of stairs, looking into a room through a slightly opened door." Severus slowly made his way over to his son as the boy spoke, coming to sit next to him on the bed and pulling him into a comforting, one-armed embrace. "The people in the room...One of them was Peter Pettigrew. He knelt down in front of an arm-chair. I think there must've been someone sitting in it but I couldn't see from where I was watching. And there was another man as well, another one who I don't know, and he knelt in front of the arm-chair too. Then there was a snake...I think it was Nagini." Harry felt his father tense at that. "Then the door was opened and Pettigrew found me and the man and then..." He paused and swallowed the lump in his throat. "And then there was a green light...Oh that poor man, that poor, poor man."

"Sshh, it's all right." Severus reassured gently, running his fingers through his son's hair soothingly.

"I don't think it was just a dream..." Harry whispered, a single tear rolling out of his eye.

"No?"

Harry shook his head. "It felt too real. It felt too much like I was actually there."

"We will deal with it properly in the morning, neither us nor anyone else would be able to do anything at this time of night and since you don't know where it was," Harry shook his head to confirm that fact. "Then there is nothing we can do. We will go back to sleep and speak to Dumbledore in the morning." Severus assured as he made a move to pull away and get off the bed.

"No!" Harry gasped, clutching into his father tightly, stopping him from moving any further away. "Don't go, not yet. Could you stay? Please? Just 'til I fall asleep?"

"If you want me to." His father consented as he moved in a more comfortably position to settle down beside his son.

Harry snuggled into Severus' side, wrapping an arm around the man's waist and pillowing his cheek against the warm material against Severus' shoulder which smelled so wonderfully of the man. The teenager immediately felt calmer and he allowed his eyes to drift shut. "Thank you." He murmured against the flannel under his cheek.

A kiss was pressed to his forehead, just beside his lightly throbbing scar, as his glasses were carefully pulled off of his face. "Think nothing of it."

31st July 1994: Morning

As Harry woke from what had been a mercifully peaceful sleep, a content smile spread across his lips as he realised what day it was. His birthday, his sixteenth to be more precise. Ahead of him was a day of complete relaxation and being able to eat everything and anything he wanted whenever he wanted. His birthday was the one day of the year where he wouldn't be chided or scolded by Severus for doing nothing and eating vast amounts of sweet things and he couldn't wait for it all to start.

In a flurry of movement, Harry was out of his bed, his glasses were on and he was bounding down the stairs to the living room where he knew his presents and father would be waiting for him. Sure enough, the half a dozen presents were stacked on the coffee table in front of where Severus sat reading that morning's copy of the Daily Prophet. The front door was wide open, allowing a cool breeze to blow through the house and to grant easy access to any owls who may come delivering presents. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Harry practically bounced into the room, leaning over the back of the sofa when he reached it and wrapped his arms around his father's shoulders. "Good morning Father." He greeted with a small squeeze.

"Good morning," Severus returned. "And happy birthday."

"Thank you." Harry beamed at him excitedly as he quickly moved around the side of the sofa and plonked on the floor next to Severus' feet. "Have any owls arrived yet?"

"Yes, one from that half Elvish, half wizard friend of yours. I set the present down with the rest on the table for you." The man answered as he folded his paper up and got to his feet. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Oh, yes please." Harry answered as he began to look over one of the presents, searching for a gift tag.

Severus left his son to it in favour of making him his breakfast and Harry carried on with his looking and unwrapping. All the gifts without tags on he put to the side, knowing they were from his father and wanting to save opening them until the man was back in the room. So, for that moment, he contented himself with opening the gift from Rhys, (a good-luck charm in love no doubt actually bought/made by Marcia) Marcia, (an intricately decorated birthday cake) and the joint one from Lucius and Draco, (the latest model of broomstick). Draco would no doubt give his own, personal gift to him upon his return from France and the Weasley's would probably send along a present too.

As Harry attached his new good-luck charm to the tie at the base of his braid, a couple of owls flew in through the front door. Harry greeted them with a smile, the one he recognised as belonging to the Weasleys nipping at his fingers playfully as he stroked the face feathers. He removed the shrunk parcels attached to the owl's leg and set them aside for his father to resize when he came back in. Then, Harry turned to the second bird which, he suddenly noticed, wasn't an owl but rather it was a crow, a very big crow. Harry blinked at the bird a couple of times, not recognising it nor having any idea who may have sent it. There was only an envelope held by the crow.

"Father." Harry called to Severus, eyeing the bird carefully.

"Yes?"

"Could you come in here a moment please? There's something I think you should see."

The sound of footsteps on stone soon came, indicating that Severus was moving across the kitchen. They stopped suddenly and Harry didn't need to look to know that the Potions Master had entered the living room. Neither of them said anything as Harry continued to stare at the bird who, strangely, stared right back at him. This went on for quite some time in comparison to what they were actually doing before, finally, Harry spoke up.

"I don't recognise it, do you?"

"I have a suspicion." Severus admitted as he pulled his wand out of the casual robes he was wearing. "Haryon, move away from it slowly."

Harry did as he was told and scooted away from where the bird was perched. However, for every movement he took backwards, the crow matched it with one forwards, never letting the amount of space between then two of them grow. Eventually, Harry was forced to give up as his back collided with the wall on the other side of the room, the crow standing on the floor about a foot away from him. Severus released a frustrated sigh and flicked his wand in the direction of the crow. The bird began to glow a clear white where as the envelope it carried glowed a dull red. Harry never took his eyes off of it, knowing what spell was being cast. Severus was checking to see if there were any negative spells surrounding either the creature or the envelope; the bird was safe, the envelope could prove dangerous.

Moving forward carefully, Severus came to kneel beside the bird and tried to reach for the envelope. However, his fingers only got so close before the crow released an indignant squawk and tried to nip the digits none too gently. The man flinched his hand away just in time to escape them being hurt and glared down at the bird poisonously. Noticing that his father wasn't going to have much luck with retrieving the envelope, Harry carefully reached for it himself. The crow made no move to attack his fingers and so he slowly took the end of the dark green, satin ribbon which held the envelope to the bird's leg and pulled it gently, untying the bow slowly. The moment the bow was undone the envelope fell free and the crow immediately took off, flying straight out of the door which it had come from. Neither of the Snapes watched it go though, they were too intent on not taking their eyes off of the envelope.

For several moments, neither of them spoke, just stared, until Harry once again broke the silence. "Should I open it?"

"No!" Severus ordered straight away in a rather harsh tone which made Harry flinch a little. "It's not safe to open, it might be cursed." He explained in a calmer tone.

"What do we do then?" Harry asked quietly.

"I'll take it to Dumbledore later this morning. For now, try not to think about it." Severus advised as he levitated the envelope off of the floor and set it on an end table on the other side of the room. "Come," he instructed, offering his hand to help his son to his feet. "Forget this unpleasantness and have some breakfast."

Harry followed along wordlessly, a horrible feeling lingering at the back of his mind.

31st July 1994: Afternoon

"Father, you're back."

"So it would seem."

"...So?"

"Yes?"

"What happened? What did Dumbledore say about the letter? What was it?"

"It's nothing you need concern yourself with."

"But Father..."

"Haryon, it is nothing you need concern yourself with. It's no longer a threat and therefore no longer a cause for concern. All right?"

"...All right."

It wasn't all right though, because the horrible feeling had returned, closer to the front of Harry's mind, making him feel nervous and sending a chill throughout his body.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

24th August 1994: Afternoon

"Seventh Year won't happen for George and I." Fred murmured abruptly from where he was laying on his back on his bed, his legs hanging over the edge of the bed and his blue eyes staring, unseeing, up at the ceiling.

It was late afternoon and Harry was at the Weasleys Burrow, staying there to attend the Quidditch World Cup with the family. They were due to leave the next morning, so for that moment the three sixteen year olds were laying on Fred's bed in the twins' bedroom, George with his head on his brother's stomach and Harry laying on the bed just beside where George was stretched out.

"What do you mean it won't happen for you?" Harry asked curiously.

"We're leaving after this Year." George answered.

"Starting our own business." Fred added.

"When did you decide this?" The dark haired boy gasped.

"Last week."

"Though we've been thinking about it for the past few years."

"We're gonna start that joke shop."

"Give Zonko's some competition."

"Your mother's going to go ballistic when she finds out you know." Harry pointed out with a slight amount of amusement in his tone.

"We'll be of age by then though." George pointed out.

"Even if she doesn't approve, there won't be anything she can do to stop us." Fred agreed.

"The only problem is the money."

"Yeah, the money, that will be a problem."

"Starting a new business from scratch isn't cheap after all."

"So we're saving." Fred announced proudly, as though it was some sort of achievement.

"No more Zonko's, not so many sweets." George sighed.

"It'll be worth it though."

"Oh yeah, definitely worth it."

"Bill's here!" Ginny's voice suddenly rang throughout the house, catching the attention of every Weasley in the house, and Harry.

"Best go down and show our faces then." Fred said with a yawn and a stretch.

"Don't sound too enthusiastic." Harry teased as he rolled off of the bed. "It's only your brother after all."

"We've got a whole week of him, there's no rush." George pointed out as he followed Harry's example and rolled off of the bed, intentionally nudging Fred along with him as he went.

"Oi, do you mind?" Fred frowned as he made to slap his brother.

"No, not at all." George grinned as he fell off of the edge of the bed in order to avoid the slap coming his way.

"You're lucky Bill's here," Fred muttered as they all headed out of the bedroom and headed down the stairs. "If we didn't have to go down to meet him you'd be dead by now."

"Ooo, I'm shaking!" George teased with a somewhat evil cackle which ended just as they reached the bottom of the stairs and found all the other Weasleys: Mr and Mrs; Ginny; Ron; Percy; Charlie, gathered around the front door, one head of red hair high above the rest. "Bill!" George yelled joyfully, bouncing over to his older brother, the other Weasleys parting to allow him through.

"Alright there George?" Bill grinned at the slightly shorter Weasley as he gave him a brief, one-armed hug, jostling him playfully. "Fred?" He added, grinning over to where the other twin was approaching with Harry. Fred gave him an identical grin and received the same sort of hug his twin had. After that, Bill lifted his gaze and it locked onto Harry. "Wow, you've grown." Was all he could say for a moment.

Harry blushed lightly at that. "I could say the same about you. You've grown your hair."

"Not as much as you have." Bill laughed lightly, his eyes flickering down as he looked at the end of Harry's braid which lingered just above the backs of his knees. "It suits you."

"Thanks. Cool earring; dragon's tooth?"

"Very good. Bonus point if you can tell me what dragon."

"I'm not that good." Harry grinned in amusement.

"I'll have to train you up then." Charlie chipped in as he walked past in order to get into the kitchen where Mrs Weasley had retreated back to.

Harry watched him go with a small laugh before the laugh was suddenly gone when an arm came around his shoulders. He completely froze as Bill gave him the same brotherly hug he had given the rest of his family members, minus the jostling. "It's good to see you looking so well Harry." The eldest Weasley sibling murmured.

"It's good to see you too Bill." Harry murmured in reply, his cheeks remaining flushed in embarrassment. Bill's arm gave him a small squeeze before it left him. Shyly, Harry watched as Bill joined Charlie and Mrs Weasley in the kitchen before he felt a pair of gazes on the back of his head. He turned his head slightly to see Fred and George grinning at him like a pair of Cheshire cats. "What?"

"Someone fancies Bi-ill." They chanted together before Harry dashed forward and slapped his hands over their mouths.

"Shut up! Someone might hear!" He ordered the two of them before removing his hands. "And I do not fancy Bill!" He hissed. "He's just...Changed, is all, it was a bit surprising."

"Uh huh, suuuuuuuurrrrrrrre." Fred teased just as the fire-place flared to life. They turned to look at it just in time to see Hermione step out with a trunk dragging behind her. "Ron, Hermione's here!" Fred called, wandering towards the kitchen where it seemed everyone had gathered.

"Hey Hermione, here let me help you." Harry offered, taking her trunk from her so she could concentrate getting herself out of the fire-place.

"Thank you." She smiled to the older boy as brushed the bits of soot which clung to her. "How's your summer been so far?"

"Pretty boring really. Draco and Uncle Lucius have gone to France to spend some time with, um," he glanced to where George had taken the trunk and was heading towards the stairs. "The you-knows."

"Oh!" The girl gasped in realisation. "So he's come into his Inheritance?"

"Not when he left but I imagine if he's going to, it would've started by now, yeah." Harry answered.

"It'll be hard to adjust, I've read about it." Hermione told him.

Harry sighed. "I don't doubt it." He perked up then."C'mon, let's go track down Ron hmm?"

25th August 1994: Morning

Harry hit the grass-covered ground with a grunt of pain as he, Hermione and the youngest half of the Weasley children came out of the portkey portal awkwardly. Unfortunately, he was the first to touch down and the other teenagers fell right on top of him, crushing him under their weight. Soon, they were just a pile of arms and legs, groanings and moanings ringing out across the empty countryside which surrounded them.

"I can't breathe!"

"Get off'a me!"

"You're sitting on my head!"

"Who's got their hand on my bum?"

"Ow, you just kicked me in the face George!"

"I'm Fred!"

"Whatever!"

"Alright, alright, c'mon, time to get up again." Mr Weasley said to them all as he helped Ginny, who was on top of the pile, up first.

The next few moments were spent getting the younger people back up onto their feet until it was only a crushed Harry who remained sprawled out on the grass. He gave a small huff of annoyance as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, preparing to get up onto his feet again. However, when a hand appeared in front of his face, out-stretched to him in an offer to help him up, he glanced above to see the friendly face of Cedric Diggory smiling down at him. He'd only really met the soon-to-be-Seventh Year Hufflepuff that day as they had shared the portkey with him and his father. Harry had certainly heard of him before that though; he was one of the biggest heart-throbs of Hogwarts.

A bright blush of embarrassment covered Harry's face and he shyly accepted the offer of help. "Thanks." He mumbled as he was pulled up onto his feet.

"Don't mention it." Cedric assured, still smiling.

"C'mon you lot, don't fall behind!" Charlie called over to them from where the majority of the group had started to walk away.

Cedric gave Harry another smile before turning and walking over to the group. Harry smiled a little to himself but it promptly vanished when he sensed two people come up from behind to stand on either side of him. He turned and looked and saw it was Fred and George, both grinning at him in the sort of way that just screamed they were about to tease him for something ridiculous.

"Someone fancies Ce-dric." They chanted together, still grinning.

"I thought you said I fancied Bill." Harry grumbled, the three of them heading after the rest of their group.

"You fancy Draco too." Fred laughed.

"I'm with Draco." The dark haired boy muttered quietly as they were catching up to the others.

"Just because you're with Draco doesn't mean you can't fancy other people." George pointed out.

"I do not fancy other people! Now will you shut up before someone hears you?" Harry hissed.

"Alright, we'll shut up." Fred grinned slyly.

"For now at least." George added with a twin grin.

25th August 1994: Midday

Harry smiled brightly as he pushed aside the flap of the tent he was sharing with the Weasleys and stepped out into the sunshine. It was a beautiful summer day, with no clouds in the sky and the its colour the brightest blue Harry thought he had ever seen it. There was also a light breeze which helped cool everything down. Around him was the chattering and clanging and other general noises that occurred when large crowds gathered in one place but it was more fun than annoying or bothersome; it only served to remind him where he was.

"It's too hot in that tent." Hermione's voice suddenly came from behind him and he turned to watch her and Ron come to his side. "It's a lovely temperature out here though, isn't it?"

"Hmm." Harry hummed in reply.

"Erm, Harry? Maybe you should go back inside now." Ron murmured somewhat nervously, catching the older boy's attention more fully.

"Why?" The dark haired boy asked with a light frown.

"Potters at three o'clock." The red head revealed, inclining his head in the appropriate direction.

Harry looked and, sure enough, there were the gaggle of Potters: Mr and Mrs; Violet; Johnathan, and Sirius Black as well. Remus wasn't even present to help lessen any hostility. "Ugh, I'm not doing this right now." The green-eyed boy muttered as he turned and went to go back into the tent.

"Harry!" Violet's voice called out, stopping Harry in his tracks. His shoulders slumped and he gave a small sigh of defeat before steeling himself and painting a happy smile on his face. He took a deep breath and looked up just in time to see his little sister take a running jump at him. He caught the small girl with a small grunt of effort and she clung to him tightly. "I've missed you so much! How has your summer been? Oh, isn't the weather lovely? Is this your tent? It doesn't look very big..." The girl gushed excitedly.

"It's good to see you too Violet." Harry cut her off gently, giving the top of her head a few pats.

Violet backed away a little then, though didn't release her older brother from her arms, and looked around them somewhat tentatively. "Erm, Draco Malfoy isn't around here anywhere is he?" She asked carefully.

Harry gave a small chuckle. "No, he's in France with his father. I'm here with the Weasleys."

"You came with the Weasleys? If you needed someone to come with you could've come with us." Violet told him, sounding slightly hurt.

"I, uh, I don't think that would've been the best idea." Harry said quietly as he stepped away from the girl with the approach of the rest of his biological family. She looked a little lost for a moment before she realised the others were approaching. Hermione and Ron stood to the side, watching everything carefully. "Good afternoon Mrs Potter, Mr Potter." He greeted them formally when they reached him.

"Please Harry, there's no need to be so formal." Lily told him gently, somewhat sadly.

"I beg to differ." Harry replied in a monotone. He noticed that Sirius Black was looking at him rather sternly. "What?" He bit out with a frown.

"I was just thinking that maybe the way someone's raised does have more of an affect on them than where they actually come from." The man told him in a cold tone.

"You know, you should take a leaf out of Professor Lupin's book and leave the past behind you where it belongs." Harry glared at the black haired man.

"Would you say that to your father?" Black sneered.

"My father is none of your concern!" The dark haired boy practically yelled. "You are such an immature man, it's hard to believe you're technically an adult! What did my father ever do to you to make you hate him so much?"

"Harry? Everything all right?" Fred's voice came from behind as the sound of the flap being pushed aside came.

A short silence followed before Harry replied. "Everything's fine." He replied stiffly. "Maybe I'll might see you later Violet." He said to his little sister before moving past Fred, back into the tent. Once inside, away from the eyes of everyone out there, he released a slightly shuddered breath and clenched his hands in irritation upon realising they were shaking slightly.

The sound of the tent flap opening again came before a hand landed on his shoulder. "You okay?" Fred asked gently from behind him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Harry assured, turning and giving his friend a small, genuine smile. "It's just something about that man; I can completely understand why my father despises him so much, it's so easy to."

Fred gave his shoulder a small squeeze before letting it drop. "C'mon, let's see where George is at and have a wander around the camp."

"Sure." Harry agreed, still smiling, as he followed his friend further into the tent.

26th August 1994: Early Morning

Harry gasped at the sights around him as he stepped out of the tent he was sharing with the Weasleys where he had previously been enjoying a game of chess with Charlie despite being beaten terribly. It was chaos, complete chaos. People were running around in complete panics, their screams and the roaring of fire mixing together with the hissing chant of roaming Death Eaters. It was hard to believe it was actually happening, it felt oddly surreal.

Harry vaguely heard Mr Weasley tell Fred, George and himself that they were to look after Ginny, Hermione and Ron and get to safety while he took Bill and Charlie to help the Aurors. And then he was being pulled along by someone's hand gripping his arm, swallowed into the rushing crowd around them. Then, as suddenly as he was pulled and forced to move, the hand on his sleeve was gone and there was nothing moving him forward anymore. He heard his name called and screamed but it faded away as abruptly as it had begun.

His legs began to move him forward of their own accord. He didn't know where he was going, even if the way he was going was going to save him or get him into more trouble; he just ran. Until he tripped and then he was on the floor and he couldn't quite get back onto his feet for all the people stampeding around him.

A sudden crack on the back of his head ended the chaos and he was left in the blackness of unconsciousness which was at least ordered and silent.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Pain was the first thing Harry was properly aware of when he started to come around. It throbbed from the back of his head all the way down his spine making movement painful. His ankle was also aching with the familiar pain of being twisted which made him frown in annoyance; his twisted ankle from before had only just stopped hurting. Slowly, carefully, he opened his eyes and saw the destruction around him and groaned, not in pain but in regret. So much hate and violence; it made him feel ill...Or maybe it was the concussion, it was hard to tell really.

It was quite a struggle to push himself up but he managed it, drawing his knees up before getting to his feet, putting most of his weight on his uninjured foot. He wobbled uneasily for a moment before he steadied himself, bringing a hand up to press against his forehead as a wave of dizziness clouded his vision. For a moment he just stood there, eyes shut, waiting for the phase to pass. When it did, he opened his eyes and lifted his head before starting forward on unsteady legs, limping on his bad ankle.

What surrounded him was horrific. Every tent was in ruin, the wood and material charred to a sickening black, the stench of burning hung heavily in the air and everything was varying shades of grey. Even the sky looked dead and bleak, thick clouds obscuring the dingy night darkness. There were still a few small fires going on around at several points, their faint crackling the only sound which could be heard and the only movement and light which could be seen. Everything else was silent and still; everything was dead.

Harry hugged himself insecurely with his left arm as he continued on, his right hand clutching his pendent around his neck and his eyes constantly roaming around the ruined land, searching for anything: the injured; the trapped; anyone who might need his help. It was because of his vigilance that he caught sight of someone in the distance moving through the ruined tents. His eyes lit up in relief and he took a step forward, intending to approach the person. However, with that step forward, a feeling of dread washed through him, making him stop instantly. That person, that man, he was dangerous, he wasn't someone who would help Harry in anyway. The dark haired teenager took a few steps backwards, not taking his eyes off of the man and moving towards the half-erect remains of a tent. He ducked down behind it and peered through a tear in the tent material, watching the far-off man.

With an almost casual ease, the man lifted his right arm, the hand of which was holding his wand. The distance didn't allow what was said to be heard by Harry but the whoosh of the green light which suddenly exploded from them tip of the wand rang clear throughout the entire camping ground. Harry watched with an open mouth and wide eyes as the green light shot into the air like a firework and then, at its highest, it formed a symbol which was only too familiar to the teenager and caused a strange pain in his scar on his forehead. It was a sort of pleasant pain, like pressing down on a bruise; a sort of thrill for the first few seconds but as it continued you got increasingly uncomfortable.

"Death Eater..." Harry whispered in horror. What should he do? Should he confront the man? Should he follow him? Should he stay where he was? Should he make a run for it? He had his staff with him but not his wand, he didn't carry it with him as he wasn't allowed to do magic out of Hogwarts. What was he to do? He honestly didn't know what would be for the best...

"Harry?"

Harry gasped in horror as the sound of his name echoed around the barren area and the attention of the man further ahead was caught. The man looked around himself quickly, no doubt looking to see who it was who had called out or looking to see if Harry was out in the open. When he obviously saw nothing, he turned and hurried off in a fast walk, never once breaking into a run while he was still visible to Harry. Once the sight of the man had gone, Harry struggled to his feet, having to clutch onto a charred wooden post in order to stop himself from falling back onto his knees.

"Harry? Can you hear us?" That sounded like Fred.

"Over here!" Harry called, closing his eyes against the pain which suddenly shot through his ankle as he tried to shift his weight a little.

Running footsteps approached him then and he straightened himself up as best as possible. Luckily, a pair of arms soon came around him to help steady him. "Merlin mate, are you all right?" George asked as he ducked underneath Harry's right arm to prop him up.

"Bump on the head and a twisted ankle is all. Why, do I look worse?" Harry inquired as Fred propped him up on the other side.

"Your hair's a mess..."

"...You're covered in ash..."

"...And you can barely stand up on your own."

"Is it any wonder I thought it was worse than it is?" George grumbled somewhat indignantly.

"What are you both doing out here? Shouldn't you be somewhere safe?" Harry questioned with a frown of concern.

"And leave you out here for the Death Eaters?" Fred gasped, aghast.

"The moment we realised you weren't with the rest of the family we sneaked away to find you." George explained as he and his twin began to carefully turn them around to head back the way they had come.

However, when they had turned, Fred was the first to notice someone up ahead with their wand pointed straight at them. "Get down!" He cried, dropping to his knees in an instant. Harry and George followed him quickly, Harry give a small cry of pain as his ankle was jarred. Seconds later, several shots of red light met above them, cancelling each other out into nothingness. Once that had happened, half a dozen men emerged from various hiding places and made their way towards where the three teenagers were still huddled together.

"Stop!" The voice of Mr Weasley suddenly called out, much to the relief of the three boys. "Those are my sons!" Harry, Fred and George lifted their heads to see Mr Weasley and Bill hurrying towards them. "Fred, George, Harry, are you all all right?"

"We came back for Harry." Fred said quickly, as though excusing him and his brother before they could be blamed for anything.

"Which of you conjured it?" A frantic looking man demanded as he suddenly ran up to them all, his wand pointing at Fred, Harry and George in turn.

"Mr Crouch, you can't possibly..." Bill began to protest.

"Don't bother to lie! You've been discovered at the scene of the crime!" The man, Mr Crouch apparently, practically yelled as he continued to wave his wand about.

"Barty, they're just kids!" Mr Weasley gasped, clearly shocked that the man would accuse three teenage boys of conjuring the Dark Mark in the sky.

"And this is Haryon Snape we're talking about; why would he of all people support the Dark Lord?" Bill pointed out reasonably.

That seemed to do the trick and left the man without answers. His mouth remained set in a firm line as he glanced from one Weasley to the next and then finally to Harry. The dark haired boy met his gaze steadily for a few seconds before Crouch was the first to break it. "Follow me." He instructed the rest of the men who were with him as he turned and began to walk away swiftly.

"Wait! There was a, erm, there was a man." Harry told them quickly before they could move too far away. Crouch and the others stopped and turned before looking at him somewhat suspiciously. "Over there." Harry pointed in the direction the man had disappeared in. "He left in that direction when he heard Fred and George call for me."

"All of you; this way." Crouch ordered them all wasting no time. They all dashed off, leaving Harry and the cluster of Weasleys alone.

"Who was it you saw Harry?" Mr Weasley asked him seriously.

"I don't know." The teenager admitted regretfully. "I didn't see his face."

Bill sighed slightly at that and moved forward. "Best not to dwell on it then. Anyway, I say we get out of here, this place is a bit too over-cooked for my liking. Give Harry here guys, I'll carry him."

So, with Fred and George's help, Harry was handed to Bill and was treated to a piggyback from the eldest Weasley child. Together with the twins and Mr Weasley, they made their way back to the safe spot where Charlie, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were waiting for them.

26th August 1994: Midday

Arriving back at the Burrow was cringe-worthy for Harry to say the least. Mrs Weasley had been almost hysterical, hugging the members of her family to her as though they were her oxygen and she would die if they ever left again. He could understand it, to hear about something so terrible happening right where all the people you loved the most were had to be terrifying. Still, that didn't mean the Weasley matriarch had to hug him quite so hard and almost suffocate him against her chest.

Luckily, Harry hadn't been required to hang around for long after that. Severus had apparently contacted Mrs Weasley to see if she knew any more details than he did and, at the end of the conversation, had requested that Harry be sent straight home upon returning to the Burrow. So, fifteen minutes after getting back, Harry was standing in the Burrow's fire-place, saying goodbye to everyone with his shrunken luggage in the pocket of his robes and a wooden crutch under his arm to help balance himself as he lacked the use of his freshly injured ankle. He threw the floo powder down, spoke the name of his home and in a whoosh of green flames, the Burrow and the Weasley's disappeared to be replaced seconds later by the familiar sight of the living room of his and his father's cottage.

Harry stumbled badly out of the fire-place; he was never good with coming out at the best of times and having a bad ankle just seemed to make it worse. He paused as he sneezed at some of the soot that got up his nose before giving a sniff and looking up at the empty room. "Father, I'm home." He called into the house, knowing that the Potions Master would no doubt hear him wherever in the house he was, even the basement where he made his potions which was practically sound proof.

The sound of movement above him signalled that he had been heard and was going to be responded to and Harry took the last few moments of peace to calmly take his luggage out of his pocket and settle it down on the table. Peace would not be something he'd get a lot of for the next few days; Severus would be hovering over him constantly, checking to make sure he wasn't in pain and basically staying near to make sure that the teenager didn't suddenly disappear. If it wasn't for the man's "striking" appearance, Harry would be tempted to wonder whether Severus had a bit of Veela in him as he could be somewhat over-protective and irrational when it came to his son.

Harry's mind barely had time to register the fact that his father had entered the room before he was in the man's arms, crushed against the firm chest, a hand holding the back of his head and an arm wrapped completely around his waist. Severus didn't say anything, not ever being someone who was good with words, but they were hardly needed at that moment if the slight damp feeling growing on Harry's shoulder was anything to go by.

Gently, the teenager lifted his hand to the back of his father's head and began to stroke the lank strands of black hair. "Sshh, it's all right, I'm all right, don't cry Father, it's all right." He murmured softly, doing his very best to ignore the pain in his ankle brought on by the fact he was forced to put some weight on it because of the position he was in.

With no warning at all, Harry was suddenly swept up in Severus' arms. His crutch fell to the floor uselessly as they turned and moved out of the living room. "Father?" He asked curiously.

"If your ankle is causing you pain then it hasn't been tended to properly." Was the only reply Harry received and he asked no more after that; he knew only too well that wouldn't get an answer.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

29th August 1994: Morning

Harry limped into the living room of his and Severus' cottage, a bowl of cereal in his right hand and his left hand pressed against any piece of furniture or section of wall which was available to steady himself against. His father had gone to Hogwarts early that morning and would be staying there the majority of the day, preparing for the fast approaching start of the new school year. So Harry was left with Elincia somewhere around the house, (they were watching her for Draco since he went to France) to cope on his own with an injured ankle for the majority of the day. Not that he minded that too much though, he'd had enough of the Potion Master's mothering to last him the rest of his life. Besides, Draco and Lucius were due back that day and they'd no doubt come and visit as soon as they were settled back at the manor if only to retrieve the cat.

To say the dark haired boy was excited about the return of his godfather and best friend would be an understatement. If it wasn't for the fact walking around was such a chore with his injured and heavily bandaged ankle, he wouldn't have been able to sit still. However, with the joyous anticipation of the return, there was also the nervous anticipation, mostly centred around Draco. Draco would now be a fully fledged Luna Veela, well into his Inheritance, and from what Harry had already read, he expected the blonde to have changed quite a bit. The young Malfoy would look different and he'd probably act differently and he would definitely start looking for a mate and that was the root of the slight fear which Harry felt. He didn't know for sure whether he was Draco's mate or not.

Yes, okay, it was pretty safe to assume that he was considering how Draco had been acting around him for years now, but until a Veela reached their Inheritance, there really was no way to tell for sure. There had been cases in the past where a Veela on the verge of their Inheritance and found who they thought was their mate but then upon reaching the Inheritance quickly discovered it was someone else. Harry didn't think he could stand it if that were the case, it broke his heart to think of Draco with anyone else but him.

In a movement which was a complete oxymoron of itself, Harry slumped down on the sofa gracefully, succeeding in not upsetting his cereal. He ate his breakfast in silence, enjoying the peace and quiet and amusing himself with looking around at the various photographs dotted around the room.

It had always been a source of great amusement for Harry to think of what the students and teachers alike at Hogwarts would think if they were to ever find out just how homey Severus could be. Most probably held the opinion that the man lived in a dungeon full time, spending every waking hour making various, foul-smelling potions. True, Severus did spend a lot of his free time making potions, most of which did smell foul, but even their basement, where their potions lab was, contained photos though they were mostly copies of the originals which were on display somewhere else in the house.

The photos would definitely surprise a fair number of people at school. Severus was a very visual person; he wasn't content with merely remembering past events, he liked to be able to see them which was probably one of the reasons why the man seemed to have about five million different pensieves. So, the majority of the pictures were of Harry and his father at various stages of their lives.

Finishing off his breakfast, Harry smiled at the picture hanging on the wall of himself as a toddler and Severus as a young man, probably only just turned twenty-one, twenty-two at that point. He recognised the setting as a part of the gardens at Malfoy Manor where he and his father were living at that point. Toddler-Harry was sitting between his father's legs who was sitting back against a large tree and they were both quite clearly asleep. In the background, Narcissa would walk by being led by a hyperactive, toddler-Draco from the right of the picture and when they disappeared behind the tree Severus and Harry were sleeping against, the picture would start again and Narcissa and Draco would enter in from the right again. For years it had been a bitter-sweet reminder of how calm and pleasant his life had been before Voldemort became such a huge part of it and it served to both warm and chill Harry's heart.

Harry rose and limped out of the living room then, heading into the kitchen to put his bowl and spoon in the washing up bowl where it would stay the remainder of the day until Severus returned home and washed, dried and put away everything with a mere flick of his wand. He then headed back to the stairs, deciding to go back up to his bedroom as that was where all his stuff was and there was very little to do downstairs.

After a long, complicated, slow and frustrating climb to the top of the stairs, having to make allowances for his injured ankle all the while, Harry limped into his bedroom and promptly collapsed onto his neatly made bed, scaring Elincia, who had been curled up on the end, in the process and prompting her to run from the room. He ignored the cat though and gave an irritated huff as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. There was very little for him to do that day. Injured ankle meant flying was out if he didn't want to risk even more pain; his summer homework was all complete; there was nothing for him to read; and Elincia had just bolted. So all he could really see to do was lay there, as he was, until either his father returned home or Lucius and Draco came to visit; several hours in that one position then.

He lost track of how much time passed. It might have been minutes, or an hour or maybe even a couple of hours. In fact, it was possible that he dozed off to sleep again while he was laying there. However, the amount of time wasn't really important as it was a period of him doing nothing else but existing. It was only when the very definite sound of footsteps coming up the stairs did the interest in life come back and Harry sat up with a confused frown. It was still only mid-morning so who could it possibly be coming up the stairs? The answer soon became apparent when, just as he stood up from his bed, the door opened to reveal a very different looking Draco Malfoy.

The summer, and his Inheritance, had obviously been very kind to Draco as he looked completely ravishing. He'd grown at least half a dozen inches taller making him around 6'2/6'3, way taller than Harry was, but the increased height didn't make him look gangly like it probably would most other sixteen year old boys. It suited his new, more mature appearance as his face had lost its boyish roundness and had become more defined. In fact, Draco looked a lot more like Lucius now especially since the youngest Malfoy had obviously decided to grow his hair. It now reached his chin, the ends curling just underneath his jaw line, and it seemed to shine a lot more than it did before and if Harry'd had a poetic bone in his body, he might've described it as now being like strands of spun white gold.

No matter how you described Draco's new features however, it always came back to one main point; if Draco had been good-looking before, he was now the sort of person that Hollywood would hire even if he couldn't act to save his life. It really was amazing what two months in France and coming into a Veela Inheritance could do to a person.

"Woah, talk about your growth spurt." Harry said as he tilted his head back to look the blonde in the face as he was approached by the Veela.

Draco made no reply to that comment except to move forward one last pace and seize Harry in a tight embrace. "Merlin, I missed you." He breathed against the top of dark hair. "You haven't changed at all. You're still how I left you exactly. I missed your scent so much..."

"So I am your mate then?" Harry checked hopefully, a smile spreading across his face.

Before Draco would make any reply, the voice of Severus yelled from downstairs. "Draco Malfoy, where are you?"

"What's Father doing here? He's not supposed to be back until this evening." Harry mused out-loud before being slightly startled by Draco abruptly releasing him and turning towards the bedroom door, keeping Harry behind him as if ready to protect him. "Draco?"

"Whatever happens Harry, remember that it's you I love; you and no one else."

Before Harry could question that cryptic sentance, his bedroom door flew open to reveal a rather frantic looking Severus and Lucius, both with their wands drawn. Harry stared at them in complete shock, shock which only increased upon Draco drawing his own wand. "What in Merlin's name are you all doing?" He gasped in horror.

"Draco, I want you to stay calm and put your wand back in your pocket. Then, move away from Haryon." Lucius instructed his son in a slow, overly calm tone.

"No." Draco answered coldly.

"This isn't going to anyone anywhere Draco. Just put your wand away and we can talk."

"We're talking now."

"Please don't make this difficult." Lucius practically pleaded with him.

"For goodness sake Lucius." Severus frowned at the man beside him. "Draco, step away from Haryon immediately."

Draco gave a somewhat bitter laugh. "You honestly think I'm going to listen to you in regards to Harry? I know just how to feel about all of this and if you think for a second that I'm going to leave my mate..."

"He is not you mate Draco!" Severus snapped at him irritably.

Harry's heart turned to stone and slowly sank to the pit of his stomach. "I'm not?" He asked, his voice wobbling slightly.

"Don't listen to him Harry." Draco instructed the dark haired boy quickly, never taking his glare off of the two men across the room from them. "And you shut up before you upset my mate any further." He yelled to his godfather.

"Haryon isn't your mate Draco and you know it." Lucius told his son in a more sympathetic tone.

"Why do you both keep saying that?" Harry inquired, peering around Draco's side.

"Because you can't be Draco's mate Haryon." Lucius told him gently.

"Shut up." Draco ordered, turning his glare from Severus onto his father.

"Draco doesn't have a mate." Severus ended the explanation.

"Shut up!" The Luna Veela raged.

"Draco, please." Harry said quietly as he rested a hand on the Veela's arm. The blonde relaxed a bit from the contact but not much. Harry eyed him in concern for a moment before turning to the two men. "What do you mean Draco doesn't have a mate? He is a Luna Veela isn't he?"

"Yes, but he has only inherited some of the Luna Veela abilities from his mother: the enhanced attraction; the high sex drive; reaction to the full moon. Having a mate is not one of the things he has." Lucius explained, keeping his wand on his son carefully.

"But..." Harry floundered somewhat uselessly. "But what about right now? I'm touching him and it's calmed him down; only his mate could do that. And all Veela have mates or else they die!"

"There isn't enough Veela in Draco to produce that kind of effect. He could live quite happily with anyone in this world and not die for lack of his mate. The reason you have the affect a mate would have on him is because you're what is called a "phantom mate"." The elder Malfoy told him. Harry gave him a curious look and so he continued. "A phantom mate is something which occurs with a part-Veela of either kind who doesn't inherit the need for a mate. It can be anyone, anyone at all, who the Veela unconsciously chooses around the very beginning of their Inheritance. They work much the same way as a normal mate for a full Veela except with two exceptions: the laws made to help and protect Veela and their mates are not applicable and the part-Veela would not die if the phantom mate rejected them."

"In other words, you should feel no duty to agree to this or guilt for rejecting him Haryon." Severus pointed out sternly in what Harry liked to call Teaching Mode.

Harry studied his father for a moment before realising something. "You don't want me to be with Draco." He revealed unsurely. Severus made no reply and that was enough confirmation for Harry. "Why not?"

"You don't want Haryon to be with Draco at all? Is that what this is all about? I thought you just didn't want him to be forced into anything without knowing the details?" Lucius said with a frown in the black haired man's direction.

"I never said anything to that effect; it's not my fault that's what you assumed." Severus replied stiffly.

"So why is it then? What's wrong with my son?" Lucius demanded with a frown.

"Oh come now Lucius, even you must admit that Draco and Haryon are not well suited. Draco is far too...Mature."

Draco snorted at that. "Is that a polite way of saying I've shagged too many people for your innocent, Gryffindor darling?"

"Draco, language." Lucius scolded him.

"And as it so happens, yes Draco, that's exactly what I meant. I will not have you coercing my son into things he isn't ready for." Severus told him firmly.

"He's not your..."

"Everyone be quiet!" Harry yelled suddenly, effectively bringing the other three occupants of the room to silence and cutting Draco off from saying what he knew was going to be an incredibly stupid and hurtful thing. "Draco, do not speak to our fathers like that, Uncle Lucius, getting angry is not going to help the situation and Father, do try and be a little more understanding." He paused and looked at the other three in turn. "We've been through too much to let something as simple as this drive us all apart." He sighed lightly before rubbing his eyes. "Uncle Lucius, Draco, if you could both please go wait downstairs while I talk to Father..."

"But Harry..." Draco tried to protest but was cut off by Harry's pointed look. He immediately dropped what he was about to say and trudged over to the still-open bedroom door. Lucius followed him and shut the door behind himself as he went, leaving Harry and Severus alone.

For a long moment, the two Snapes stood still in their positions, not speaking or making eye contact. Then, Harry released a sigh and was the first to move. He wandered over to his father and took the man's larger hand in his own before leading him over to the bed. With a bit of gentle coaxing, Severus perched on the edge of the mattress before Harry climbed up onto the bed and crawled around so he was kneeling behind the stern man. Then, he basically draped himself over the man's shoulders, bringing his arms around his neck in a loose circle.

"Are you okay?" Harry murmured into his father's shoulder.

"I have, admittedly, felt better." Severus admitted.

"Draco was just angry; he didn't mean to be like that."

"I'm sure." The Potions Master replied doubtfully.

"Why don't you want me to be with him?" Harry asked gently, turning his head so he was looking at the pale skin of his father's neck.

"He wouldn't be any good for you Haryon. You are both too...Different." Severus insisted.

"The same could be said of you and Uncle Lucius yet I know you've found happiness with him." The teenager revealed gently.

"That is a completely different scenario which bears no relation to this situation." The man muttered, a very light pink flushing his cheeks in embarrassment.

"Even though Draco is basically a clone of his father and I'm very much like you?"

"Yes, it is different because we are both a lot older than you and Draco are. You have only just turned sixteen Haryon, you're not ready for the sort of relationship that someone like Draco would want."

"Yes, I know, I totally agree with you, and I've made that perfectly clear to Draco as well. I don't want things to go too far yet and he knows that and he's okay with that."

"There is such a thing as being caught in the moment." Severus pointed out reasonably.

"So it's my self control your worried about as well then." Harry inquired, slightly offended by that.

"I'm not saying that you'd do it intentionally..."

"Father," he interrupted the man before he could go further. "If it's things like that that worry you then I'm never going to be able to reassure you. When it comes to this, I can't guarantee what's going to happen in the future, but what I can do is promise that I will try my very hardest to not "get caught in the moment". I'll always try and stop anything that happens before it gets too far and if for some reason I don't, I'll make sure Draco knows to stop himself before things go too far. I may not be mature enough for such an intimate relationship but I am mature enough to manage a relationship."

Severus released a small sigh before bringing his hand up to hold onto one of Harry's. "When did you grow up without me even noticing?"

"It does sort of sneak up on you doesn't it?" Harry grinned lightly as he squeezed his father's hand and kissed his cheek. "You'll always be the one I love the most." He murmured softly and completely seriously.

Severus said nothing to that, instead replying by turning his head and kissing the corner of his son's mouth. He then sighed once more and stood causing Harry's arms to fall from him as he did. "I had best return to Hogwarts now, I was in the middle of making a rather complex potion when Lucius came shooting out of my fire-place completely panicked about what Draco might do; it would be a shame to waste such expensive ingredients."

"What did he think was going to happen?" Harry asked curiously as he shuffled off of the bed and got to his feet.

"I got the impression he fully expected Draco to lock you away with him somewhere and never let you leave for fear of us taking you away from him." Severus replied with a light smirk, obviously being able to find it amusing now that the worry was over.

"Don't you think that's rather sad; the fact that it was possible that we all made him feel that way?" Harry asked sadly, accepting his father's offer of support to help him walk with as much ease as possible.

"I have already accepted the fact you will both now be together, do not expect sympathy from me as well." The sour man grunted in such a way Harry had to laugh a little.

They made their way downstairs slowly, allowing time for Harry to go down carefully to limit any pressure which might twinge his ankle. Lucius and Draco were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for them, Draco looking rather worried while Lucius merely appeared to be bored, though that meant nothing as the man was so good at hiding his feelings. The two blondes looked up when the father and son reached them though.

Severus gently released Harry from his supporting hold, the teenager immediately stretching out a hand to the wall in order to support his weight on it. Then, the Potions Master stepped right up to the young Luna Veela who was standing at the stairs' banister. For a few seconds, the two Slytherin's stared each other down, onyx black clashing with steel grey, until, finally, it was the older of the two who broke the silence:

"You break his heart, I'll break your legs." Severus muttered before turning and going into the living room, no doubt to use the floo in the fire place.

"I had better go after him." Lucius sighed as he moved forward. "You two behave yourselves." He instructed them with a pointed look in Draco's direction.

"We could say the same thing to you and Sev." Draco pointed out with a smirk.

"Remember who you're talking to Draco." Lucius said in a warning tone before disappearing into the living room.

For the first few seconds after the two men had left, the remaining teenagers simply watched the living room door as though fully expecting one, or both, of their fathers to come back in, attempting to catch them in the middle of something. However, once those seconds had passed, Harry and Draco were pulled together like two magnets. Their arms came around each other in a desperate hold and their lips met roughly, both eager to have as much physical contact as possible after the long separation. Who knows how far that kiss would have taken them right there in the front hallway if it weren't for the fact that Harry was forced to put pressure on his injured ankle which resulted on him giving a small yelp of pain which broke their kiss.

"Your ankle still hasn't healed?" Draco asked, instantly concerned.

"Oh no, it healed, it just got twisted again during the attack at the World Cup." Harry explained as Draco helped support him as they made their way into the living room.

"You were there! I told Father you would be and he tried to assure me that everything would be fine..."

"Everything is and was fine. Just a bump on the head and a twisted ankle, nothing life threatening." Harry assured.

"But there were Death Eaters there! What if one had found you and..." Draco began to ask as the dark haired boy flopped down on a sofa.

"Draco," Harry cut him off. "There's very little point in asking "what if" now that it's all already happened. No Death Eaters found me and I wasn't seriously injured. Now stop worrying and come and give me a cuddle." Draco sighed lightly at that but did as he was told, sitting down next to Harry and wrapping an arm around his shoulders in order to hold him close. Harry snuggled up against him, curling his legs beside him, and closed his eyes in content. "So how was France?"

"Not too bad. I learnt a lot but there was also plenty of time for relaxing as well. I bought you your birthday present in one of the markets they had there but it's back at the manor, it never occurred to me to grab it when I headed over, in too much of a rush I suppose."

"Did you honestly think they'd try and stop us?"

"Yes, a part of me did, probably the Veela part that has a tendency to not think clearly and over-react when it comes to you." Draco said ruefully before turning completely serious. "Does it bother you that you're not...Not really my mate?" He seemed to struggle actually saying it and Harry could only imagine how hard it had to be for the blonde to actually admit that he didn't have a real mate.

"It doesn't bother me in the least." He assured the part-Veela confidently, giving him a squeeze for good measure. "In fact, I think I prefer it this way; we get all the perks of a Veela and their mate without having to worry that you'll die without me. And it's far more romantic this way, don't you think? After all, you chose me yourself out of everyone else in the world. If that's not enough to make a person feel special then I don't know what is."

"Hmm, I suppose. But the school isn't going to allow us the special rules you know? It's as Father said, Veela laws won't apply to us because your a phantom mate." Draco reminded bitterly.

"That hardly matters Draco. With the exception of Divination for me and Ancient Runes for you, we're taking the same classes this Year and there isn't a rule in the school about not being allowed to sit at another House's table at meal times. The only way it will really affect us is that we won't get a personal living space to ourselves and, in my opinion, that can only be a good thing seeing as Father will probably be performing random virginity tests on me from now on." Harry joked with grim humour.

"You're not sitting at the Slytherin table." Draco said firmly.

"Oh good, I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to that." Harry replied, relief evident in his tone.

"And I plan on leaving the Slytherins behind myself as much as possible." The blonde revealed.

"Really? You'll leave all your friends behind?"

"They're not my friends Harry, they were more like people to hang on to until someone or something better came along. I'm sure it was exactly the same situation with them for me. We obviously weren't born in a very good year as the majority of the people in our Year are despicable."

"I wouldn't go that far but I know what you mean." Harry murmured against the Veela's chest.

"But even if they weren't and I had all the friends in the world, I'd give them all up in an instant if it would make you happy." Draco told him completely truthfully.

"And I'd do the same for you." Harry replied as he lifted his head and pressed his lips against Draco's.

From then on, nothing more was said for quite some time.

1st September 1994: Midday

"Take care Uncle Lucius." Harry called to his godfather from where he and Draco stood by one of the open windows of the Hogwarts Express. He didn't get a verbal reply from the blonde aristocrat, instead getting a slight nod. It was enough though and with one last, happy wave, Harry retreated from out of the window and followed Draco along the narrow aisle, squeezing through the crowds who had gathered by the windows, all waving their parents off.

Upon reaching an empty compartment, Draco opened the door and stepped aside to allow Harry in before him. It was just one of the new, unselfish acts that the Luna Veela seemed to have picked up along with his Inheritance; it probably had something to do with the dark haired boy being his phantom mate coupled with the fact it was during the phase of the full moon. Apparently, both types of Veela reacted to the phases of the moon and their instincts became the strongest during the period of the full moon. Other things Draco had taken to doing was pulling out a chair for Harry when he went to sit down, carrying his hand luggage for him that day on the way to the station and basically doing whatever the dark haired boy told him with very little argument which, Harry had to admit, was insanely handy. Not that he'd ever abuse that ability of course.

"Don't you have to go and do prefect stuff?" Harry inquired as he sat down by the window and was promptly joined by his Veela.

"Not straight away. I've got about an hour or so before I have to go." Draco revealed as he wrapped an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders.

"Hmm." Harry sighed happily as he cuddled against the blonde's side. "Are you sure you're all right with just leaving your friends behind? I don't want you to think you have to stop being friends with them just because of me."

"We've been through this several times already dear; they're not even real friends. I won't miss them in the least." The Veela assured him but frowned lightly when Harry gave a light chuckle. "What?"

"You called me dear." Harry grinned slightly stupidly, obviously insanely happy about that.

"Oh, I could call you a few things far more intimate than dear." Draco practically purred as he leaned in closer to Harry, putting their faces millimetres apart.

"Mr Malfoy, I do believe you're being positively indecent." Harry teased lightly, still grinning in amusement.

"That was nothing compared to what I plan to do." The blonde warned moments before he closed the final space between them and molded their lips together. The dark haired melted into the kiss instantly, eagerly kissing back and bringing a hand up to hold the back of the blonde head.

However, when the sound of the compartment door sliding open suddenly came, Harry broke the kiss in an instant, pushing Draco off of him and pulling away as far as possible at the same time. Just because their fathers now knew they were together and so the entire school could, it didn't mean that he was suddenly comfortable with out-right, public displays of affection.

"Oops, didn't mean to intrude." The smirking voice of George came and Harry peered around Draco, who was busy sorting himself out calmly as though nothing had happened, to see him and Fred standing at the entrance to the compartment both grinning like loons.

"So are you two going public now or were we not meant to have seen that?" Fred inquired as he and his brother moved into the compartment fully, sliding the door shut behind them.

"Yes, the whole world can know about us now but that doesn't mean you were meant to see that." Harry muttered, blushing brightly and trying to straighten out his clothes which were actually perfectly fine.

"Bill will be crushed when he hears." Fred teased but Harry failed to see the humour when he felt Draco tense up beside him; that couldn't be good...

"And you'll no doubt totally ruin Diggory's school Year before it's even started." George added and that was obviously the last straw.

"What!" Draco demanded angrily, standing up and glaring at the twins, startling them both quite a bit.

"Draco, don't!" Harry cried, getting up as well and grabbing onto the Veela's arm quickly, just in case he decided he wanted to go Cedric Hunting.

"What are they talking about Harry?" Draco interrogated, turning a harsh glare onto the boy beside him and revealing that his eyes were starting to turn a little silver.

"Nothing, they aren't talking about anything. They're just being idiots." He reassured quickly before turning to look at Fred and George pointedly. "Aren't you? Tell Draco that you're just being a couple of prats and there's nothing going on between me and Bill or Cedric Diggory."

It was either the tone or the words that did it but Harry somehow managed to successfully get across to the twins that this was a serious situation and therefore needed to be treated seriously. "Yeah, he's right, we were just fooling around." Fred agreed, glancing from Harry to Draco as he spoke.

"There's nothing going on between Harry and Bill or Diggory. In fact, Harry barely said more than a few words to Diggory the entire time we were at the World Cup." George assured, copying his brother's eye movements.

Draco looked from one twin to the other before looking back to Harry, the silver fading from his eyes but still there faintly. Harry kept eye contact with the Luna Veela as he gently took the blonde's hands in his and turned to face him head on. "I made a promise to you before you left for France that I wouldn't stray from you and I kept that promise. There's no one else on this planet for me Draco, you're the only one I want."

The blonde Veela watched Harry carefully for a few moments before he seemed to accept what his mate was saying was the truth. His face softened and the glare disappeared for a moment before he turned to look at the twins again. Then, his glare returned and he gave a low growl of irritation. "I'm going for a walk." He muttered darkly as he turned and yanked open the compartment door.

"Draco, promise me you're not going to go looking for Diggory." Harry demanded quickly, lurching forward and latching onto the Veela's arm.

"Fine." Draco grunted.

Harry gave a sigh a let go of his Veela's arm, allowing him to leave the compartment, not bothering to shut the door. The dark haired boy pulled the door shut instead before returning to his seat, slumping down tiredly as though he had just run somewhere or done something physically strenuous. "Thanks a lot for that guys." He muttered to Fred and George, not looking at them. "That was a really great way to start off the Year."

"What the bloody Hell was that all about?" Fred gasped, still sounding un-nerved.

"Yeah, we were clearly only teasing." George pointed out.

"Luna Veela don't have much of a sense of humour when it comes to their mates." Harry grunted.

"Ah." Fred said in realisation.

"Yes, ah." Harry sighed, finally looking at the two Weasleys.

"Sorry mate, didn't realise." George apologised before he pressed his lips together. "Ooo, should probably get out of the habit of calling you that ay? Wouldn't want to upset Draco. I'm assuming he'll be spending a lot more time with us now?"

"Yeah, a lot more time." Harry confirmed. "But one thing you probably should know is that I'm only his phantom mate so most of the Veela laws don't apply to us unfortunately."

"Oh good, he won't kill us then." Fred grinned in relief.

"Oh no, he probably would still kill you, he'd just be sent to Azkaban for it instead of being fined or placed under a period of house arrest." Harry corrected, getting some sort of malicious pleasure in seeing the twins blanche for a second.

"Yeah, but you still wouldn't let him do anything to us." George said confidently and Harry couldn't deny that; he'd stop Draco from killing anyone let alone his two closest friends.

"Anyway, totally changing the subject now, have you seen the paper today?" Fred inquired, reaching for his bag and rooting around inside it.

"No, why?" Harry asked.

"They're still having no luck in tracking down the one who put the Dark Mark in the sky." Fred told him as he pulled out the copy of the Daily Prophet and handed it to the dark haired boy.

Harry accepted the paper and glanced over it quickly, frowning as he skim read it. "This is ridiculous! How can the Ministry not know who conjured it? Isn't there any security?"

"Loads according to Dad, that's what's worried them so much." George said grimly.

"It's happened right under their noses." Fred added.

Their conversation was cut off just then as the door to the compartment opened yet again, only this time it was to allow Hermione to step in and join them. "Hi guys, good to see you again."

"Hey 'Mione." The twins greeted her together.

"Seen the paper this morning?" Fred inquired as the younger girl took the seat next to Harry and was handed the paper by him. As she began to read it, a familiar call came from outside.

"Anything from the trolley? Anything from the trolley?"

"Ooo, sweets time!" George said happily as he got to his feet only to be yanked down seconds later by his twin.

"We're saving up remember?" Fred reminded him and the grin immediately fell from his brother's face.

Harry looked at them both sympathetically for a moment before making a decision. "I'll buy you both something if you want."

"That's good of you Harry but you don't have to." Fred declined politely.

"Are you sure? What about if we say it's part of your Christmas present this year? That and any other sweets you want between now and December." The dark haired boy offered.

"That does sound like a good idea." George murmured, looking at his brother out of the corner of his eye. "It's not charity then, just an extended Christmas present."

Fred gave a sigh of defeat at that, unable to go against his brother and their best friend. "Alright, fine, if you want, but only one thing each and nothing too expensive."

"Two liquorice wands coming right up." Harry beamed at them happily as he stood and edged around the paper Hermione was still reading. "You want anything Hermione? My treat." He offered as he slowly opened the door.

"No thank you, I've already eaten." She told him distractedly, obviously fully absorbed in the news paper.

Harry said nothing but gave a nod of acknowledgement and acceptance as he opened the door the rest of the just in time to catch the trolley lady to buy the treats for his two friends.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

2nd September 1994: Morning

Harry's heart was racing a mile a minute as he walked down a corridor on his way to breakfast, Fred and George walking on his right and Hermione on his left. This was it, the first time that Draco would be joining them at the Gryffindor table for a meal and Harry was dreading the fuss which was no doubt going to rise from it. The fuss was the reason Harry had refused Draco's offer to sit at the Gryffindor table for the Sorting Feast; it wouldn't have been fair on the new First Years to have the whole process ruined by an uproar from the Gryffindors and probably the Slytherins too.

When the group of Gryffindors entered the Great Hall, Harry noticed that Draco hadn't arrived yet and he wasn't sure if that was something to be pleased about or not. Wordlessly, the four of them sat down, Fred and George on one side of the table and Harry and Hermione on the other side, opposite them. The twins immediately began to fill their plates with food but Harry and Hermione didn't; Harry having no appetite and Hermione too busy being concerned for Harry.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" She asked him quietly.

"I'm not hungry." Harry assured her.

"That'll be the nerves." Fred noted, continuing to pile his plate high.

"It won't be that bad mate." George reassured the dark haired boy. "I bet people won't even notice that much." That earned the Weasley raised eyebrows from the three others. "Okay, fine, you two try thinking of something to reassure him then if you both know exactly what to say." He grumbled, slouching on his seat and poking at his breakfast with his fork.

Harry sighed lightly and looked over to the Head Table where there were three people watching him: Professor Dumbledore; Severus and the new DADA professor Alistor "Mad-Eye" Moody. The Headmaster had the usual sparkly glint in his eyes, Severus was looking his usual sour self and Professor Moody...Well, just looked rather mad and disgruntled. The man gave Harry the chills. There was something about him that wasn't quite right...

A jab in his side caught Harry's attention and he looked to Hermione who had been the one to do it. Wordlessly, she inclined her head to the entrance of the hall and he followed the sign to see that Draco had entered and was striding confidently towards them. Harry's heart beat increased ten-fold as Hermione shuffled up a seat so that the Slytherin could sit in between them to limit the initial unknown-Gryffindor contact. The dark haired boy tried to calm himself but it was hard. He hated being the centre of attention at the best of times.

"Morning Harry." Draco purred in his ear as he reached them, leaning down so his lips were millimetres away from the shell of it.

"G-good morning Draco." Harry stammered a little.

Draco grinned lightly at that and lifted his gaze to the twins opposite him. "Weasleys." He greeted politely.

"Call us by our first names." Fred invited with a friendly smile.

"If only 'cause it'd get confusing trying to figure out which one of us you're talking to." George joked lightly.

Harry gave them both a grateful smile just as Draco turned to look at the youngest member of the small party. "Granger." He said just as politely as he had spoken to Fred and George.

"Malfoy." She returned with equal respect.

It was after all of that, that the moment of truth came. Draco stepped over the bench and sat down in between Harry and Hermione. Silence stretched throughout the Great Hall and Harry felt the intense desire to just slide down under the table. Too many pairs of eyes were on him to count and the silence seemed to ring it was so quiet. However, while he was obviously uncomfortable, his other four friends were carrying on as if there was no problem at all: Hermione was sprinkling sugar over her cornflakes; Fred and George were tucking into the food on their plates and Draco was busy filling not his own plate but Harry's as it was empty.

"There," Draco said to him gently. "That should be enough for you." He smiled to Harry then and brought a hand up to gently smooth the dark hair above his ear causing a bright blush to spread across the normally pale cheeks. That only seemed to please the Veela as his smile widened slightly. However, it faded soon after that and he glared at the rest of the Gryffindor out of the corner of his eyes before turning to face them completely. "Can we help you with something?" He asked in a dangerous sort of tone.

No one replied and no one reacted, all just simply continuing with their staring. It was obviously starting to annoy the Veela as a low growl rumbled in his chest. Harry quickly took hold of the blonde's hand under the table in order to appease the irritation. Luckily, it was then that Professor Dumbledore chose to step into the events:

"Please, everyone, return to your meals."

Slowly, the Great Hall filled with noise again but it was hushed, as everyone whispered, no doubt about them. Harry gave a small sigh and bowed his head. When his hand was given a light squeeze, he lifted his head again and saw Draco giving him a comforting smile. "Pay them no mind." He murmured quietly. "They don't matter. Now stop caring what other people think and do and eat some breakfast; you're not going through a whole school day on an empty stomach."

"Yes dear." Harry replied, unable to stop the grin which fought its way onto his face. Draco grinned back at him and gave his hand one more squeeze before releasing it and starting on his own breakfast.

Finally relaxing a little bit, Harry picked up his knife and fork and started on the food Draco had piled onto his plate for him. There were still people looking over to them and there were several who were no doubt talking about them but, for that moment, they were all at the back of his mind.

2nd September 1994: Midday

So far, the day had gone by with very little happening. Classes had been attended and in every single one Harry had sat next to Draco and the ones that they shared with the twins, they had sat behind or in front of them. They had stuck together and although people had been looking at them, no one had said anything to them, not even the Gryffindors. It was rather remarkable that absolutely no one had passed comment really. True, it was a well known fact that Harry and Draco were best friends but someone from one House sitting at the table of another was not exactly a regular occurrence. However, now it was lunch time, Harry had a horrible feeling that the good luck they'd enjoyed so far wouldn't last much longer. In fact, it was as Harry and Draco were walking down a corridor side by side, on their way to lunch from just having met up after Harry's Divination class and Draco's Ancient Runes, that the first bit of trouble of the day kicked off.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, stop right there!"

Harry winced slightly at the high pitched shriek of Bethany Zabini and reluctantly turned with Draco to see the girl was fast approaching them along with the boy Harry knew only as Spari. Neither looked particularly happy and Harry could quite easily predict what this confrontation was going to be based around.

"Do you mind telling me why, exactly, you were sitting at the Gryffindor table for breakfast this morning?" She demanded as she and Spari got ever closer.

"Actually, yes, I do mind, because it really is none of your business." Draco told her with a frown. "Now if you don't mind..."

"Yes I do mind! This past year you've been drawing away from us Draco and I want to know why! For so long we were inseparable and then suddenly you changed it all just to hang around with a twerp like him." She practically spat in Harry's direction. "Why do it? He's a Gryffindor, he can't keep you satisfied, you know you're just going to get bored of him in a couple more months."

"He's my mate." Draco told them simply.

"No he's not, my father heard, he's only a phantom mate, it's completely different, you don't need him to live." Bethany insisted.

Draco opened his mouth to reply to that but shut it again when Harry stepped forward and took his arm in a sign to relax. "You don't possess enough information on the subject to argue an affective case so why don't we just save you the time and go? Accept the fact that Draco no longer wishes to associate with either of you and move on with your lives."

A crowd had started to gather around them now and Harry knew that Bethany Zabini being Bethany Zabini would only be encouraged by the attention and would therefore be even more eager to continue this argument. She'd see it as a way to get maximum impact with her words from the embarrassment of having them said with an audience listening. It was a cheap trick and one used by people who were too weak minded to come up with decent insults but, on many people, it was affective. Perhaps it would have been effective on Harry if his mind wasn't preoccupied with making sure Draco remained in control of his anger and didn't do something stupid.

"So has Draco caught you up on everything that's been happening in the dungeons? A lot of socialising goes on down there, you know? In fact," Bethany sneered here, "Draco is very sociable when in the Slytherin common room, especially when his eyes turn that hypnotising silver colour, won't take no for an answer when his eyes get like that."

The atmosphere around them was tense after that, a lot of it radiating from Draco. Harry refused to let it get to him though and simple answered coolly: "I'm aware of Draco's past doings."

"And it doesn't bother you?" The girl asked, still sneering, her tone implying that she already knew the answer.

"Not at all." Total lie but she hardly needed to know that.

"Bullshit." Spari grunted bringing Harry's attention onto him.

"You know, maybe it's a good thing that you don't talk that much."

"Oh, he talks a lot, only it takes Draco's cock up his arse to encourage him." Bethany smirked.

Harry gave a tired sigh as Draco angrily tensed beside him. "Merlin, you sound like a broken record. Can't you think of anything else to try and get at me with since we've already established that Draco's past "relationships" don't bother me?"

"Hey!" The familiar voice of Violet suddenly yelled at the side, drawing in the attention of everyone around. "Leave my brother alone!" She ordered, glaring over to the older girl hatefully, obviously wanting to join her older brother's side but being held back by a friend of hers.

"Oh yes, that reminds me, you're not actually a Snape are you?" Bethany sneered, her eyes lighting up in a sort of triumph. "No, you're James Potter's bastard."

No sooner had those words left the Slytherin's mouth than Draco had quite literally pounced, an almost animalistic growl escaping him as he did. Bethany screamed as she was tackled onto the ground by the blonde Veela and within seconds, Harry was beside them, trying to pull Draco off of the girl before any of the professors came over to see why the crows had gathered.

"Draco! Leave her! She's not worth the trouble!" The dark haired boy protested as he fought to get a hold of his Veela's arm. When he finally did manage to catch hold of Draco, he pulled at him with all his might.

"Let me go Harry." Draco ordered, struggling against the force and allowing Bethany time to scramble backwards, out of immediate harm's way.

"No, I will not let you go." Harry insisted before, in one swift move, he threw himself into Draco's arms and held onto him tightly, hoping to restrain him and calm him down at the same time. It seemed to work quite well and the Veela immediately brought his arms around his mate to return the embrace. "Her words can't hurt me Draco. She's just a selfish girl who dreams of something she can't have." He told the blonde in a soothing tone, running his fingers through the soft strands of hair. "She's not important to us, so let her be." Slowly, Harry pulled away from Draco and looked up at the blonde's face; he did look more relaxed now and the silver had receded from his eyes. "Feel better?" He checked. He got a grunt in reply which he took as an affirmative. "Good, then let's get to lunch, I'm actually hungry for once." He said with a smile as he moved his hand to lace his fingers with the blonde. Draco held his hand in return when they were comfortable and, side by side, they carried on the way they had originally been going.

"Stop! We're not finished yet!" Bethany protested.

"Actually, I think you'll find we are." Harry corrected her in a falsely sweet tone as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Good day Zabini, Spari." Draco called behind him, the fact he used their last names speaking levels.

When they were a suitable distance away and it was unlikely they'd be over-heard, Harry grinned and gave Draco's hand a tight squeeze. "That was very well done, you handled that surprisingly well considering what time of the month it is."

"It was wholly unsatisfying though." Draco grumped, scowling ahead of himself. "I'd much rather have ripped her whiney little head off."

"Well I'm glad you didn't if only to save my robes from blood splashes." Harry joked lightly.

"Harry, about what she said..." The blonde started to say but was cut off when Harry shook his head at him.

"We have already been through this Draco; the past is the past. You were starting to come into your Inheritance and Veela being naturally...Passionate, creatures, you searched for...That sort of contact without truly understanding why. You were acting on instinct, I can't fault you for that." The dark haired boy replied, hesitating at several points to think of how to phrase things. When he noticed the blonde staring at him in surprise, he offered a small grin. "Hermione researched it and told me a lot. The girl's like a walking encyclopedia."

"Speaking of Granger." Draco said as they entered the Great Hall, his eyes immediately falling onto the frizzy haired girl who was talking animatedly to Fred, George, Ron and Potter.

As they got closer, they were noticed by George who immediately stood up. "No, turn back, save yourselves!" He cried dramatically, effectively notifying the rest of the small group of their arrival.

The moment Hermione laid eyes on Harry, her face lit up and she rose from her seat before hurrying over to the Gryffindor and the Slytherin. "Oh Harry, good, I'm glad you're here." She gushed, going to take his hand but being stopped by Draco who grabbed her wrist with his free hand. She glanced up at the blonde slightly startled.

"Had a bit of a run in with Bethany Zabini so he's a bit high-strung." Harry told her quietly, well aware that Draco could still probably hear him but not wanting anyone else to over-hear. Hermione gave a small nod of understanding and slowly withdrew her hand, Draco letting her go when it became clear she wasn't going to try and reach for Harry's hand again. After giving a small sigh, Harry gave the Fourth Year girl an encouraging smile. "So, why are you suddenly so glad to have me around?"

"Oh yes, I wanted to check to make sure you'll, of course, be joining SPEW." She told him, leading him and Draco over to where the group was sitting.

Harry noticed the others shaking their heads and mouthing "no" to him but he ignored them and looked at Hermione questioningly. "What's SPEW?"

That question earned a groan from the other four and a glare from Potter. "Merlin Snape, are you blind?" He demanded irritably earning a dark look from Draco.

"Oh John, hush." Hermione ordered him primly as she sat down again, Harry sitting next to her and Draco sitting down next to him. As they sat, the Gryffindors who were originally sitting opposite where Draco was shifted along so they were several seat away from him. "SPEW stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare. Here, have a badge." She offered enthusiastically.

"It's to save the house-elves." Fred grinned, clearly amused.

"Save them from what?" Harry inquired cluelessly as he accepted the badge and looked it over.

"Slavery of course!" Hermione cried.

"Of course." Draco smirked quietly, earning a small jab from Harry's elbow.

"But the house-elves are born to be servants, that's why they're called house-elves. They enjoy it, or at least I know Dobby does." Harry pointed out reasonably.

"Don't even bother Harry." Ron muttered earning a glare from the girl he sat next to. "We've just spent the last fifteen minutes arguing that same point back and forth."

"They seem to enjoy it because they don't know any better. They can't miss freedom because they've never had it!" Hermione protested heatedly.

The group of boys were silent for several moments before Draco spoke: "I don't think a house-elf would know what to do with freedom even if you gave it to them."

That only set Hermione off into another rant which the group of boys had to suffer through. However, Harry mostly just tuned her out, not to be rude and not because he wasn't interested in her opinions, but because his attention was focused on his younger brother, sitting only two seats away from him.

So far, the boy hadn't said much though he was obviously part of the conversation and he had only snapped at Harry once. The fact that he had been sitting with Ron and Hermione and Fred and George indicated that he would be well aware that, eventually, Harry was going to joining them. Did that mean that the boy was willing to make an effort to at least be civil? Harry didn't want to get his hopes up but that did seem to be the case. He hoped it was at least; it would make things easier on him and Violet. Not to mention that he didn't fancy having the drain of constantly walking on eggshells when around the boy who his biological brother.

4th September 1994: Morning

Harry sat completely silently, his eyes fixed ahead of him and a completely blank look on his face. Just next to him, Draco sat looking much the same.

It was the first DADA lesson of the year for him and the first time properly in the presence of Professor Moody. Still, the dark haired teenager couldn't shake the feeling of mistrust and unease around the man and being in the DADA classroom, which always made him feel funny, meant he hadn't entered the class in a very good mood. When the lesson had begun, his foul temper had become all the worse.

They were looking at the Unforgiveables again, only whereas in his Fourth Year they had merely talked about them and heard examples, this time, Professor Moody was showing examples. And Harry didn't like it, he didn't like it one bit. Not that he was showing it, he wouldn't put it past the ex-Auror to delight in his horror since the man seemed to be somewhat of a heartless sadist, but inside his stomach was churning and he wanted nothing more than to run from the room to Professor Dumbledore and demand the man be fired.

In front of him, some poor, unfortunate creature was being tortured unnecessary, held under the Imperious curse. To drown would be no pleasant way to die yet there the professor was, threatening to have the creature drown itself while talking about how some Death Eaters escaped prison by claiming Voldemort had put them under the same curse. It was all stuff they already knew! That was what made it all the more horrible, the fact that, to a degree, it was unnecessary even on an educational level.

"Now, can anyone tell me the name of the second Unforgiveable curse?" Moody asked, pulling Harry from his thoughts. Someone behind Harry obviously put their hand up because the professor's eyes flickered to the right a little before he said a gruff: "Yes?"

"The Cruciatus." The person, a girl, answered.

Moody made a small noise of agreement as he lifted his wand and pointed it to the still recovering creature. Harry's heart froze as ice began to run through his veins. Surely not...Surely Moody wasn't going to cast the Cruciatus on a living thing right in front of them! That would be too much! To show them the Imperious curse was one thing, that didn't necessarily have to cause pain, but to intentionally harm a creature just to show them how terrible the Cruciatus curse was...Surely not even this slightly crazed man would do that...

"Crucio!"

The breath caught in Harry's throat as the curse was spoken and the poor creature immediately began to writhe and shriek in pain. Tears came to his eyes as it continued for far longer than was necessary, the creature's wails still coming but its twitching lessening as it no doubt began to grow tired. Still Moody didn't remove the curse though. Harry closed his eyes against the sight, but it didn't help. Instead, it just caused him to picture the times he had seen people suffering the same curse in his dreams: nameless Death Eaters; his godmother Narcissa; his godfather Lucius and no doubt, in the past, his own darling father...

"Stop it!" Harry sobbed out a yell as he got to his feet and slammed his hands down on the table. That caught the attention of everyone in the room, including Moody who still didn't end the Cruciatus. "Take it off." He ordered in a hard, controlled voice.

For a long moment, Moody and Harry stared each other down. It seemed as though many minutes passed when really it was no longer than five seconds. Harry seemed to win though as Moody was the first to look away and, shortly after, he ended the curse. The tortured creature immediately relaxed, a low, pained whine escaping it before it just slumped on the professor's desk lifelessly.

Harry didn't take his eyes off of the DADA professor as the man picked up the creature and headed over to his and Draco's desk. Upon reaching him, he stopped right in front of the desk and placed the creature on the table in front of Harry. Still, the dark haired teenager didn't look away from his professor.

"Well Mr Snape, perhaps you'd like to put the poor thing out of its misery and tell us the final Unforgiveable." Moody said to him.

"No." Harry answered in a cold tone. It would be like consenting to Moody casting it on the creature and he couldn't do that. He wasn't able to save it and considering its condition it would probably be kinder to "put it to sleep" but he couldn't bring himself to give the answer and therefore, for him, play a part in the creature's death. It may only have been an insect of some sort but it was still alive and they had no right to take its life from it.

Professor Moody gave a small shrug and a grunt which seemed to say "fair enough" before pointing his wand back to the creature. "Avada Kedavra." More tears came to Harry's eyes as the green light hit it. It instantly went limp and then nothing more. The whole class was looking at them but Harry didn't care. All he could look at was the dead creature, killed by the man who was standing in front of him. "There's only one person who's ever survived this curse." Moody told them all quietly which caused Harry to lift his head and look at the man in the face. "And I'm looking at him."

He wasn't sure what clinched it, whether it was the way the man had said that last sentence of whether it was all just too much as a whole, but before Harry could stop himself, a sob had escaped him and he had turned, his legs throwing him forward and sending him dashing out of the classroom. The sound of Draco calling after him reached his ears but he took no notice of it. He just ran. He wasn't aware of where he was running, he didn't much care, he just had to get away. Get away from the death, get away from that horrible man who he refused to believe had once been an Auror, get away from that horrible classroom that always made him feel that something terrible was about to happen. He hated it, he hated it all.

Harry lifted his head finally as his legs continued to move him forward and even through his tear-filled eyes, he instantly recognised what part of the school his subconscious had led him to, the one place he always felt safe. Not caring if there was a class in session or what the people in that class might think of him, Harry burst through the doors of the Potions classroom. There was, indeed, a class in there and the fact Harry caught sight of Cedric Diggory meant it was obviously a Seventh Year class, but it looked like, luckily, Severus wasn't in the middle of explaining anything. In fact, he was standing at one of the desks at the front of class. He had obviously been leaning over and inspecting the students progress before the door and slammed open and caught his attention. Harry headed straight for him, thinking of nothing else and being selfish for once, and threw himself into the Potion Master's arms the moment he reached him.

Severus' arms instantly came around him as well as the darkness of being enfolded in the folds of his teaching robes which probably effectively hid most of him from the sight of the other students. He was led away, no doubt to the entrance to his father's personal rooms as the man barked an order to the class to continue and to be finished either by the time he returned or by when the lesson ended. Then, the sound of a door opening came, he was walked forward a few more steps and then the sound of a door closing came. That was when Harry finally let go of his tears and began to sob quietly into his father's chest.

Lips came down to press against the top of his head and a large hand gently patted his back as he was rocked slightly, soothingly. It all helped to calm Harry down and added with the ever comforting presence and scent of his father, his sobs had soon subsided and he was left breathing heavily against the black teaching robes. The rocking slowly stopped and the hand on his back switched from patting to gently rubbing as Severus straightened up a little.

"Better?" He asked quietly. Harry only nodded against him. "Good. Now, can you tell me what's happened to get yourself worked up into such a state? You're supposed to be in Defense Against the Dark Arts at the moment aren't you?"

Harry nodded again. "We were looking over the Unforgiveables again and..." His breath hitched slightly. "Professor Moody gave some...Practical examples." More tears filled his eyes and he gave another small sob. "It was awful, that poor creature, to make it suffer in such a horrible way! It wasn't necessary! We're Sixth Years for the love of Havanack; we know what the Unforgiveables do, we don't need to see them put it in action!" He paused to release a few tears then before carrying on. "And when he cast the Cru-cruciatus, all I could think of was how much the poor thing was suffering and how much Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius and you had to suffer...It was so terrible." And after that, he didn't try to say anything more, just allowed more tears to come.

Severus said nothing except to murmur the soothing words a dutiful father would while comforting their child. When Harry finally stopped crying again, he pulled a handkerchief out of the inside pocket of his robes and handed it to the teenager. The boy's hand curled around it and the piece of cloth disappeared from his view, no doubt going to wipe the tears away from those lovely emerald eyes.

"Sorry I interrupted your class." Harry apologised quietly after several minutes of silence.

"It doesn't matter, they're Seventh Years; by that time I'm there mostly to tell them what to do so that they can do it, they'll be fine on their own." Severus assured. "I'll have a word with Professor Dumbledore during lunch about Professor Moody's class."

"I don't want a huge fuss to be made..."

"A huge fuss won't be made but it was his responsibility as a teacher to warn the class before he did what he did, allowing them the opportunity to not participate if that is what they choose." The man explained.

A dull rattling sound came from the locked door which led into the Potions classroom then, drawing the attention of both of the living room's occupants. "Open the door, it's Draco." Came the blonde's voice from the other side. Severus gave a small sigh and pulled his wand out of his robes so he could wave it carelessly in the general direction of the door. The next time it was attempted to be opened, it swung inwards and in came Draco. His eyes immediately fell onto Harry and he rushed over, pushing the door shut behind himself. "Feeling better?" He asked, making a move to pull the dark haired boy into his arms.

However, as Harry moved to accept the blonde's embrace, his father's arm tightened around him and he was held to the Potion Master's chest with a firm force which startled him slightly. "Haryon is fine Draco, just a little shaken by what he saw. Would you agree that what Professor Moody demonstrated was unnecessary?" Severus inquired, a certain something in his tone which Harry found a little odd.

"It was a little over the top." Draco agreed, looking more than a little disgruntled but keeping his temper under control, his arms folded over his chest as though he needed to do something with them to stop himself from reaching for his wand.

"Then I will certainly have a word with Dumbledore later on." Severus said, mostly to himself. Then, he looked down at Harry who in turn looked up at him. "If you'll be all right now, I should return to the class."

"Can I stay in here for a little while?" Harry asked quietly.

"Just until the end of this period; you have to go to your next class." His father told him to which Harry nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll see you after the lesson then." He assured before he leaned down and placed a kiss on the corner of Harry's mouth. Then, he straightened up, moved away and swept over and through the door into the classroom behind.

When the door shut, Draco gave a snort and rolled his eyes. "I knew he was taking it all too well."

"He was acting a bit funny wasn't he?" Harry agreed, moving forward and wrapping his arms around Draco's chest comfortably.

"I'll ask Father to have a word with him if he doesn't get better." The Veela mused before looking down to his mate. "But enough about him; are you feeling better now?"

Harry nodded and gave a heavy breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just all a little too much."

"There was almost a mutiny when you left. The whole class jumped to your defence."

"And did you do anything we'll both regret later on?"

"With thanks to Fred and George, no. They reminded me of you and I decided you were the one who needed my immediate attention. I can get that nutcase back at any time." Draco revealed with a glare.

"Don't Draco, Father said he'll sort it out." Harry reminded gently.

"You're my mate, not his." The blonde muttered.

"Yes, but in this case he's in a better position to do something rather than you. We're not protected by law Draco, you can't kick off radically over every little thing that upsets me or makes me angry."

"It's not fair!" Draco growled angrily. "How can they expect people like me to cope with that sort of situation? The laws should apply to us too!"

"I know they should." Harry agreed gently, soothingly, and at the back of his mind, he was already planning for the future. For once, he would use his fame to his advantage and protest their case. One day, he'd get the law changed so that Veela and their phantom mates were protected by the same laws that other Veela with true mates did.

4th September 1994: Evening

Fawkes gave a small noise of pleasure as Harry ran his fingers gently over his head, smoothing down the feathers. The Sixth Year Gryffindor had been called to the Headmaster's office after dinner in order to "sort out this little problem with Professor Moody". Harry wasn't too thrilled with the situation and even less with the idea of being in a room on his own with the strange DADA professor but if was Dumbledore's office and Fawkes was there and the phoenix had helped him against a basilisk once, surely he would help if Moody turned into a raving lunatic suddenly.

Behind him, the door opened and Harry glanced over his shoulder to see that it was his DADA professor, looking as mad as always. Awkwardly, he moved so that his back wasn't to the door but neither was he facing the door head on. He continued with his attentions on Fawkes but made sure to occasionally glance over to the man. One time when he looked, he was sure he saw a hard glare on the teacher's face but it was gone in an instant, making Harry wonder if he really had seen it.

Professor Moody cleared his throat and looked everywhere but at Harry. "I've had a word with both your old man and the Headmaster and I've decided that it probably was a little...Unfair, of me to spring that all on you like that, considering your past."

"I agree." Harry said simply, turning his gaze onto Fawkes again.

"That's all you're going to say to me?" Moody demanded, sounding annoyed. "You know. it's customary to accept when someone..."

"I don't really care what is customary in this situation." Harry told the man stiffly. "Let us get something clear here Professor; I do not like you, I do not trust you, and if I had my way I would have to fired right now. However, Professor Dumbledore seems to think that you're a good teacher and so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. However, outside of class, your authority means nothing to me. I will avoid you like the plague and, unless you wish to stir up more trouble, I suggest you do the same with me."

With that, he left Fawkes and moved forward, intending to leave the office. However, as he passed the ex-Auror, the man caught his arm to hold him back. Harry stopped obediently and turned his head slightly to look at Moody with a neutral expression. The man seemed to be holding onto the last strand of patience he possessed and Harry almost wanted him to snap, if only because then he really would be fired. When Moody gave an odd flick of his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, Harry frowned at the oddness of it. The professor obviously realised what he had done and abruptly dropped Harry's arm.

"Away with you Snape." He ordered briskly. "And I expect no more out-bursts like that one in lesson today."

Harry studied the man for a few seconds before giving a small nod. "Good day Professor." He said neutrally, before moving forwards again and, finally, getting out of the headmaster's office.

After leaving the steps which led and up and down to and from the Headmaster's, Harry released a low sigh and took a moment to relax. His stomach was fluttering from nerves and he felt a little out of sorts. There was definitely something about that old Auror that just wasn't right. He felt wrong, he felt dark...It was hard to explain what it was he felt exactly. The bottom line was that he didn't trust the man in anyway and from then on, he was going to make a point of avoiding the DADA professor outside of lessons at all cost.

"Harry?"

Harry lifted his head upon hearing his name spoken and was slightly surprised to see Cedric Diggory walking his way. The events of that morning came to his mind and he blushed in embarrassment; the older boy had seen him basically "running to daddy". "Oh, erm, hi Cedric. What are you doing here?"

"I asked your friends where you were and they told me you were meeting with Professor Moody in Professor Dumbledore's office. I just wanted to come and check that you were all right. You seemed really upset in your father's lesson this morning." The older Hufflepuff explained, sounding nothing but concerned and sympathetic.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine now. Professor Moody just apologised to me...Sort of anyway, so I guess everything's okay now." Harry explained, trying to look anywhere but at the teenager in front of him.

"That's something then." Cedric said with a smile. "What is it that happened exactly? There are loads of rumours going around but no one really knows for sure. Your friends aren't saying anything about it."

"He, uh, he was demonstrating the Unforgiveables." Harry told him a little awkwardly, finding himself reliving it all on some level, not enough to make him want to cry but enough to make his heart ache.

"And you were upset because you're a pacifist." The Hufflepuff summarised.

Harry lifted his eyes to Cedric finally and stared at him in surprise. True, his religion was no secret as it was one thing that all the newspapers felt they had to broadcast when he had first defeated Voldemort, but as it was a little known religion there were few/none who knew what the beliefs of a Havanist were. The fact that Cedric was aware of the belief of pacifism was very odd.

It was obviously Cedric's turn to blush here as he gave a small, somewhat shy, laugh and looked to the side. "I did a bit of research on Havanism after we met at the World Cup." He revealed.

That was an even bigger surprise then finding out he knew about the pacifism! "Erm, why?" Harry almost croaked, his voice cracking due to a strange case of nerves which had come back with a vengeance.

Cedric opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out before he was interrupted by a call of Harry's name. Both teenagers looked to see Draco hurrying towards them, seemingly completely oblivious of Cedric's presence. "How did it go? Did he apologise?" The blonde inquired as he passed the Hufflepuff without acknowledgment and went straight over to Harry.

"Sort of." Harry answered, accepting the kiss on the cheek his Veela gave him and allowing the Slytherin to put his arm around his waist. He noticed Cedric was still standing there."Oh, Draco, this is Cedric Diggory. Cedric, this is Draco Malfoy." He introduced them both, smiling in a friendly way.

The eyes of the Hufflepuff and the Slytherin met and in a second they both seemed to recognise something in each other. Harry silently despaired as it became obvious the two young men were taking an immediate dislike to each other. Draco's unjustified dislike was understandable; Veela equals jealous of anything with a pulse within five feet of their mate. Cedric on the other hand didn't really have a reason for the snap judgement which resulted in the dislike unless he was basing it on the simple fact that Draco was a Slytherin but he thought that was unlikely; Cedric didn't seem like the type to believe in House prejudices.

"Well, now I know you're all right Harry, I'll be off." Cedric said, a smile covering his face as he turned his attention to the Gryffindor.

"All right, I'll see you around, yeah?" Harry smiled in return which only made Draco scowl harder.

"Most probably." The Hufflepuff agreed before flickering his eyes onto Draco, his smile vanishing almost completely. "Malfoy." He said by way of parting before he gave one last smile to Harry and then turned and walked back in the direction he'd come from.

As Cedric left them, Harry became aware of the fact that the arm around his waist had tightened considerably. It wasn't painful or uncomfortable but it was definitely more than just a relaxed gesture of affection. With a small smile, Harry brought his arm around Draco's back and rested his head on the blonde's shoulder. He felt the Veela's muscles shift under his cheek before a soft kiss was brushed against his forehead.

Without words, they walked forwards together, their arms remaining around their other.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

30th October 1994: Evening

There was an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation in the Great Hall so thick you could cut it with a knife. Only a few days ago, they had been informed that Hogwarts was to play host to the Triwizard Tournament that year and tonight was the night that the students from Beaxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived. The foreign students from the other schools had already made their grand entrance, impressing all and when it came to Ron, almost sending the young Weasley into a coma of awe; he had drooled at the Veela and had almost had a heart attack at the sight of Viktor Krum. As the girls from Beaxbatons had come in, Draco had whispered in Harry's ear, pointing out Fleur Delacour, one of the half-Veela he had met while in France, and then added on the end that she was a little full of herself which had made Harry chuckle; a bit of pot calling the kettle black there he thought.

Now, everyone was seated and had somewhat calmed down. They all faced the front, looking on to Dumbledore who stood to address them. "Your attention please, I'd like to say a few words." Dumbledore said to them all as something under a very large brownish-gold sheet was carried in by four unknown men. "Eternal glory; that is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament, but to do that, the student must win three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks."

"Wicked." Fred and George breathed together which drew a slightly amused smile from Harry.

"For this reason, the ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this, we have the head of the Department of International Magic Cooperation, Mr Bartemius Crouch." Dumbledore told them before he stepped aside and the man Harry recognised from after the attack on the World Cup stepped forward, obviously ready to address them all.

"After due consideration, the Ministry has concluded that for that their own safety, no student under the age of seventeen is to be allowed to put forward their name for the Triwizard Tournament." Crouch declared. The reaction was immediate. People began to boo and yell out exactly what they thought of that new rule. In front of Harry, Fred and George seemed to intent on making their displeasure known as they yelled out "rubbish" and other such things at the tops of their voices. Over all of the noise, Crouch managed to get out a fairly loud: "This decision is final." With that said, he turned and retreated to the background, giving way for Dumbledore to come back to the forefront.

"Silence!" Dumbledore ordered in the booming voice he rarely used so when he did it was rather surprising.

The demanded silence swept over the Great Hall immediately and everyone returned their full attention to what was happening at the front of the hall. They watched as Dumbledore tapped a jewel-encrusted chest with his wand three times, causing the lid to rise open. Everyone immediately tried to alter their positions to get a better look at what was in the chest but it turned out to be un-necessary as the object was lifted out, the chest was closed and then the object resting on top of the lid, on show for everyone. There, in front of them all, was a rough, wooden goblet which held a large, flickering, blue flame in its cup. A definite sense of awe spread through everyone at the sight and Harry had to admit that just seeing it, despite knowing he couldn't compete even if he wanted to, did inspire some sort of excitement.

"The Goblet of Fire; anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament only need write their name of a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this time tomorrow night." The Headmaster instructed them. "Do not do so lightly; if chosen, there is no turning back." The elderly man paused, no doubt for dramatic effect or something of the sort. "As from this moment," he began again. "The Triwizard Tournament has begun."

As those final words left Dumbledore's mouth, reality disappeared for Harry as he fell into a vision:

()()()()()()()()()()()()

In perfect darkness, He stood in front of the Goblet of Fire, almost hypnotised by the dancing blue flame it held. When the fire suddenly flared and turned a light red, almost pink, colour, He didn't flinch, even when a few of the flames came dangerously close to Him. He merely continued to stare into the fire.

Shooting upwards, the red fire spat out a piece of parchment before calming and returning to its usual blue colour. The piece of parchment fluttered down to Him slowly, drifting on invisible wind currents. He made no attempt to catch it as it passed Him and it came to a gentle rest at His feet. Slowly, He bowed His head forward and looked down to the slightly burnt piece of parchment. On it, were written only two words, in handwriting He recognised but He wasn't sure from where:

The parchment read Haryon Snape.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Reality returned to Harry in a rush of colour and unexpected noise and, once he began to comprehend everything again, he realised the meal had begun and people were allowed to talk freely. He released a slightly shuddered sigh as he recovered until he realised abruptly that Fred, George, Hermione and Draco were gazing at him in concern while Potter and Ron seemed to think he was just nuts.

"Are you all right Harry?" Draco asked him gently and it was then the dark haired boy realised that the Luna Veela was holding his hand.

It took a few seconds for Harry to find his voice but he managed it eventually. He gave Draco and the rest of them a reassuring smile and a small nod. "Yeah, I'm fine, nothing to worry about."

"You sure?" Fred checked carefully.

"Mmhmm." Harry confirmed weakly.

None of them seemed convinced but at least they left it at that. Draco gave Harry's arm a small pull towards him and the dark haired boy took the hint, shuffling closer to the Slytherin and allowing him to snake an arm around his waist. He accepted the kiss which was placed on his cheek before they both turned their attention onto their food. Or at least Harry pretended to turn his attention onto his food.

It had been ages since he had last had a vision. He had actually been kinda hoping that he'd grown out of them or something to that effect. Obviously not as he had just had one and now he had to consider what it could mean. Was it literal? It surely couldn't be as under-seventeens weren't allowed to compete. So it must be symbolic, but what the Hell kinda symbolism was it? No immediate meaning came to Harry's mind and although that wasn't uncommon, it didn't stop him worrying about it.

"Stop worrying and eat something." Draco murmured in his ear suddenly. "Whatever it was you saw can be dealt with later when you've eaten properly."

Harry sighed in defeat, knowing there wasn't any point arguing with his Veela so he picked up his fork with the hand which wasn't pinned to Draco's side and began to slowly eat his meal; slowly being the key word in that sentence.

31st October 1994: Morning

Triwizard Tournament fever had hit Hogwarts with full force in the space of less than half a day. It was all anyone wanted to talk about, whether it was predicting who from Hogwarts would be chosen to participate or the under seventeens coming up with ridiculous ideas to try and cheat their way into being picked, something Harry had suffered with Fred and George. So, when it actually came to the time that students were putting their names into the Goblet thick and fast, it was no real surprise that it seemed as though the majority of the school were in the Great Hall, obviously quite happy in just watching.

"Eternal glory; that'd be brilliant, wouldn't it?" Ron sighed as he and Potter stood at the side of the Age Line which surrounded the Goblet, watching as a boy from Durmstrang put his name into the fire. "In three years time, we'll be old enough to be chosen..."

"Rather you than me boys." Harry spoke up with a small smile as he passed them, going over to sit by Hermione who was at the side reading a book. "Any luck Hermione?" He asked when they reached her, referring to the fact that she was helping him try to decode his vision.

"Not really, this book is very limited. They don't have anything for either "goblet" or "chalice" so I had to go with "cup" which says: "a symbol of plenty; a new friendship that will bring a lot of joy to you." And so far I've had no luck with the fire bit, there doesn't seem to be anything in here which is odd." She explained.

"A new friendship?" Harry repeated. "Well, I guess that kinda makes sense what with having met Cedric last month..."

Just then, a cheer rose up catching the attention of the two Gryffindors. They looked up just in time to see Cedric turning from the Goblet of Fire having obviously put his name in there. The Hufflepuff's gaze flowed over Harry for a second in which he offered the dark haired Gryffindor a smile. Harry blushed slightly but returned it before looking away awkwardly.

"I thought he was supposed to be going out with Cho Chang." Hermione murmured, watching the interaction.

"Who?" Harry asked curiously.

"A Ravenclaw girl, in the same Year as me." She shook her head slightly. "I'm glad I'm not her if he's going to go around, blatantly eyeing up other people."

"Hermione!" Harry hissed, well aware that Draco was only on the other side of the hall, talking to Fleur Delacour. "Keep your voice down! I do not need Draco hearing such stupid accusations especially with the full moon only a few days away."

"It's highly unlikely he'd hear us from where he's standing." Hermione reassured him. "Besides, he looks pretty occupied with those Veela girls."

Harry glanced over to him and saw that despite what he had said about the half-Veela yesterday when she had arrived with the rest of the students from Beaxbatons, he appeared to be enjoying talking to her and a few of the other girls despite the fact he had his "Malfoy-mask" on. It would probably sound strange to anyone else who may have heard him say it, but Harry actually enjoyed watching Draco when he was socialising without the dark haired boy there to distract him. The way the young Malfoy handled himself while around other people was very attractive: his posture became perfect; his tone took on a more serious quality and he spoke a lot more eloquently, more like a cultured adult rather than a teenager. Harry wasn't quite sure why he found it so attractive on Draco, after all, it was all just an act and he'd hate it if the blonde started to act like that all the time. Maybe it was because Draco did it less and less nowadays and so to see it was somewhat of an event.

The sound of running footsteps came then and everyone looked to see Fred and George running in, each holding up a vial which Harry recognised only too well. While he bit back a small groan, everyone else around him cheered for the twins as they came dashing up. Reaching the stands, they jumped up onto them and held their hands up as a sign for everyone to settle.

"Thank you, thank you." Fred grinned to the crowd.

"Well then lads, we've done it!" George declared triumphantly, holding up the vial in his left hand.

"Cooked it up just now,"

"Thanks to our dear Harry and his dad who provided the ingredients."

"Will you two shut up!" Harry cried with a glare in the twins' direction. "He'll kill me if he finds out!"

"It's not going to work." Hermione spoke up then, not lifting her eyes from her book.

Fred and George looked to each other before looking down to Hermione. Then, together, they came down far enough so they were directly behind her and then each rested a head on each of her shoulders. "Oh yeah?" Fred asked.

"And why is that 'Mione?" George inquired next.

"Because Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by a plan so pathetically dimwitted as simply using an aging potion." She told them pointedly, still not looking up from her book.

"Ah, but you see that's why it's so brilliant!" Fred insisted, standing up again.

"Because it is so pathetically dimwitted." George reasoned as he moved to stand next to his brother. "Ready Fred?" He checked.

"Ready George." Fred affirmed.

Simultaneously, the twins shook their vials before pulling the corks out the top. They linked the arms of the hands which held the vials. "Bottoms up." They said together before downing their potions in one gulp. They separated and then waited a few seconds to swallow every last little bit which lingered in their mouths. Then, without word or signal, they both jumped forward...

...And crossed the Age Line. Everyone broke into a cheer and Fred and George grinned to each other in triumph. With that success, they caught the attention of Hermione who finally looked up from her book in order to watch the twins' progress from then on. Fred and George took the pieces of parchment with their names on them out of the pockets of their robes and then reached up and cast them into the fire. After a few seconds had passed and the fire had apparently accepted them, another cheer rose up and the twins joined in with it.

"Looks like you were wrong for once; they've pulled it off." Harry murmured to Hermione.

"Don't be so sure." She replied moments before the fire suddenly flared violently and sent the two Weasley's flying back towards the back of the Great Hall. "See?"

"Do you think they're hurt?" Harry asked anxiously moments before yelling from the twins was heard and was soon followed by almost every single person in the Great Hall chanting "fight, fight, fight."

"Obviously not." Hermione sighed as she returned to her book.

Harry shook his head at the behaviour of his two friends and settled beside Hermione again, now unconcerned with the behaviour of the twins. He leaned in closer to her so he could read the book she was as well. However, no sooner had he done that and the younger girl had shifted the book over a little so he could read it, than the doors to the Great Hall opened and effectively brought the fight and all the chanting to an abrupt stop.

Harry and Hermione lifted their gazes from the book in time to see Viktor Krum come striding in followed by the man Harry recognised as Igor Karkaroff. Silence hung heavily in the air as Krum walked up to the Goblet and dropped the piece of parchment with his name on it into the flame. As the seventeen year old turned to go, his eyes gazed over in the direction of the two Gryffindors. Harry darted his gaze from the Seeker to Hermione and got the definite impression that this was somewhat of a moment between the two. He continued to watch his younger friend in amusement as she stared after the Durmstrang student until he was gone as quickly as he entered.

Once he was gone, Hermione seemed to realise that Harry was grinning at her. "What?"

"I think someone fancies a bit of a shop around in the Gryffindor department." Harry said, holding back a laugh.

A bright blush lit Hermione's cheeks and she looked away from Harry quickly. She closed her book with a light thud and stood. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, dismissing the comment as she walked down the stands and headed out of the Great Hall.

"Sure you don't!" Harry called after her, still grinning widely.

He watched after her for a second before he noticed Draco and Fleur Delacour approaching out of the corner of his eye. Harry turned to greet the blonde, moving down the stands to meet him, accepting the kiss which was pressed to his cheek in greeting. "What's wrong with Granger?" Draco inquired as they approached each other.

"I think I embarrassed her." The dark haired boy laughed lightly.

"Ah, I see." The blonde young man replied with a light grin of his own before he moved to stand at his mate's side. "Harry, I wanted to introduce you to Fleur Delacour." He said as he gestured to the blonde French girl. "Fluer, this is Haryon Snape, my mate."

"It iz a pleazure to meet you Mizter Snape." She greeted in a heavy accent as Harry shook her hand.

"Oh, please, call me Harry, everyone else does." Harry insisted.

"Alright zhen 'Arry." She accepted. "Zo how 'ave you found life wiz a Veela mate? 'Ave you had any problemz yet?"

"No, not really. Nothing we haven't been able to handle anyway." The dark haired boy assured her, glancing to Draco and smiling at him.

"'Ave you bonded yet?" Fleur asked innocently which caused Harry to make a sudden choking sound.

"No, not yet." Draco answered as Harry tried to get his throat back into control again. "Harry isn't quite ready for that, I don't think."

Harry blushed lightly, mortified that he was part of a conversation about his intimate life with someone who was essentially a stranger. Draco seemed completely at ease though. Did that mean he was just being a prude? Or was Draco just more open about that sort of thing? It was hard to tell really and he felt there wasn't really a way to stop the conversation without appearing either completely rude or a prudish stick-in-the-mud. So he kept silent and half listened to Fleur tell him the story of how her grandmother met her mate.

31st October 1994: Evening

As the applause faded and Professor Dumbledore began to speak, Harry was happy. The champions of the Triwizard Tournament had been selected and all of them had been seventeen years old. Unlike what his vision had suggested, his name had not come out of the Goblet and he had, in no way, been involved in the selection process. For once, a major event had passed by without him playing any part in it. Of course, that did leave the question of what his vision was actually about but he was stubbornly ignoring that niggling question for the moment, enjoying the few moments of being able to relax to some degree and not worry.

However, when the flame in the Goblet of Fire suddenly flared with new life, surprising everyone in the Great Hall, Harry felt his stomach sink in a dread brought on by suspecting/knowing only too well what was about to happen. It was disturbing to see the events of his vision play out in front of him, the familiar piece of charred parchment floating down slowly, being caught mid-air by Dumbledore. Harry tensed as the Headmaster turned the parchment over, obviously searching for the name on it, and Draco noticed.

The blonde leaned in closer to his mate and gently whispered in his ear: "What's the matter?"

The words caught in the dark haired boy's throat and that gave enough time for Dumbledore to read out the name on the parchment: "Haryon Snape."

Harry froze, his heart sped up as, behind him, Draco also stiffened. Please, please, please say he did not just hear Dumbledore call his name...

"Haryon Snape." Dumbledore called again and looked around, obviously searching him out.

At the back of Harry's mind, he was aware of the fact that he should have been getting to his feet and going through the same door as everyone else had, but the front of his mind was too shocked for movement. His name had just come out of the Goblet of Fire, he was supposed to be the fourth participant in the Triwizard Tournament. It made no sense! He'd never put his name in! He wouldn't have been able to put his name in! So how the bloody Hell did it get in there?

He was faintly aware of Hermione jiggling him and hissing in his ear, ordering him to stand up and move. Eventually, it was Fred and George who got him to stand and then pushed him forward. That got him moving and he continued on his own, moving down the length of the Gryffindor table, manoeuvring himself around to the middle aisle and then heading to the front of the Great Hall, all under the judging gazes of the Hogwarts population. He received a sympathetic pat on the shoulder from Professor McGonagall and an indescribable look from his father as he passed them both.

Suddenly, coming back to his senses, he was out of the Great Hall and in the room with the others who had been chosen to participate. The three older teenagers looked up as he entered and it was Cedric who spoke first as he moved over to the dark haired boy. "Harry? What are you doing in here?" He paused as he seemed to consider how Harry was fairing. "Are you all right?"

Before Harry could answer, a lot of noise and fuss entered the room and the four teenagers turned to see what it was. A whole horde of adults, led by Dumbledore, came bustling into the room, all yelling to try and get themselves heard, and not one of them looked even mildly happy. The moment that Harry saw his father, he was away from Cedric, rushing over to the Potions Master.

"Haryon..." Severus began but was cut off by his son.

"I didn't do it I swear!" Harry cried, throwing himself into his father's arms. "I didn't put my name into the Goblet, I swear I didn't!"

"Harry," Dumbledore said calmly as Severus rested his hands on Harry's shoulders, obviously refusing to hug him in public but not going so far as to push him away. "You are being completely truthful when you say you didn't put your name into the Goblet?"

"Yes of course!"

"And you didn't get one of the older students to put it in for you?"

"No!"

"But of course he is lying!" Madame Maxime insisted, earning a sharp look from Severus.

"The Hell he is!" Moody spoke up suddenly, apparently standing up for Harry for some strange reason. "The Goblet of Fire is an exceptionally powerful, magical object. Only an exceptionally powerful Confundus Charm could've fooled it and although we are all aware of Mr Snape's power, it is improbable that he would've been able to cast it."

"You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought." Karkaroff sneered suspiciously.

"It was once my job to think as Dark wizards do Karkaroff, perhaps you remember?" Moody replied in a dangerous tone.

"This doesn't help Alastor." Dumbledore sighed. A short period of silence came then before the Headmaster turned to look at Mr Crouch. "We will leave this to you Barty."

"The rules are absolute; the Goblet of Fire constituted a binding magical contract." Crouch told them all. "Young Mr Snape has no choice; he is, as of tonight, a Triwizard Champion."

"No." Severus disagreed sternly, speaking for the first time. "My son will not be participating; I will not allow it."

"He has no choice Professor Snape. The moment his name came out of the Goblet..." Crouch began to say.

"But we don't even know how my name got into the Goblet!" Harry protested. "You can't expect me to compete! There has to be some sort of get-out clause in this situation, right?"

But the looks on the faces of every adult in the room spoke volumes and Harry felt what little hope he had managed to keep hold of fade away as the uncomfortable silence which had covered the room continued.

31st October 1994: Night

Harry was not happy by the time he got back to Gryffindor Tower later that night. He and Severus had argued with the other teachers until they were blue in the face and had got no where. Like it or not, Harry had to participate in the Triwizard Tournament and no one was happy about it. The students would most likely not be happy about it either. He could just see a repeat of his Fourth Year coming on.

He muttered the password with no feeling and it didn't go un-noticed by the Fat Lady. "My goodness dear, I don't think I've ever seen you look so unhappy! Whatever's the matter?"

"I've just had a rough night is all." Harry reassured the painting with a weary smile, genuinely touched by the concern she showed.

"Well, no hanging around in the common room for you then. You get straight off to bed." She ordered as she swung open, allowing him to go in. He gave another weak smile as he passed her and trudged into the common room...And then stopped.

Every single set of eyes in the common room moved onto Harry the moment he was through the portrait hole and he fought the desire to fake illness or something. Over on the sofa by the chess set were Fred and George, obviously waiting for him because they weren't playing a game, Hermione, Ron, Violet and Potter were sitting near them and were also doing nothing. Everyone else seemed to have at least doing something before he came in because some had books and such in front of them.

For several moments there was nothing; no sound nor movement. It was Fred and George that broke the stillness as they both stood and marched up to Harry. They stopped about a foot in front of him and for a few seconds, just stared, as though they were sizing him up. Then, Fred, on the right, spoke in one of the most serious tone Harry had ever heard the young man use: "Look us in the eyes and tell us completely honestly..."

"Did you put your name into the Goblet?" George ended.

Harry made sure he was looking at Fred right in the eyes before he clearly said: "No." He turned to look at George then. "I did not put my name into the Goblet."

"Then that's good enough or us." Fred said with a smile, taking the last steps and standing at Harry's side in a symbol of acceptance and support.

"What's going to happen now?" George inquired as he stood on the dark haired boy's other side.

"I couldn't get out of it." Harry sighed and the room was so quiet that everyone could quite easily hear. "I have to compete."

A hushed murmur ran through the common room then and Harry fought back a cringe of embarrassment. He hoped that no one thought he'd actually put his name into the Goblet himself but, if they did, how could they justify it? Putting his name into the Goblet, even if he was completely within his rights to and it wasn't breaking any rules, would draw attention to him. If there was one thing that Harry hated and most people knew he hated, it was to be the centre of attention. Thinking he put his name into the Goblet didn't make sense because all he really wanted was to be just another face in the crowd.

3rd November 1994: Afternoon

"Good afternoon Haryon."

Harry's eyes widened in slight surprise as he laid eyes on the sight of his High Priest who was coming in through the front entrance into Hogwarts. "High Priest Sephiran...Uhh...It's not Sunday." He said somewhat lamely.

"No, it is not. However, I felt a visit was required when I was informed of the events of Hallowe'en night." The Elvish man explained.

"Oh, okay. I, um, I have free period now."

"Then perhaps now would be a good time to have a discussion then."

"Of course. Would the kitchens be all right? The common room might be a little too noisy." Harry warned.

"The kitchens would be fine." Sephiran assured gently.

"Okay. Erm, this way." The Gryffindor said somewhat nervously as he began to lead him away.

The journey was made in silence and luckily they didn't come across anyone on the way. Reaching the kitchen, Harry tickled the pear to open the portrait hole and stepped aside to allow Sephiran in before him. He followed in behind the Elf and then took the lead again, heading over to a large, wooden table in the centre of the area which had four stools beside it, most likely for the professors to wait while whatever food they ordered personally was prepared.

A sudden pop sounded and a house-elf appeared right next to Harry. "Is there something you are needing?" It asked politely.

"Erm, High Priest, would you like anything?" Harry asked, turning to look at the man.

"Tea would be much appreciated." Sephiran said with a smile as he seated himself.

"A pot of tea please." Harry said to the house-elf who promptly disappeared with a pop. The teenager turned away then and joined Sephiran at the table. "I'm sorry you had to come all the way here just for this High Priest."

"There is no need to apologise Haryon, I came because I thought it was necessary. I admit that I do not know much about the Triwizard Tournament but it does sound awfully dangerous. Do have any idea who may have put your name into the Goblet?"

Harry hesitated for a moment. If he was completely honest, he suspected Professor Moody, but he knew he couldn't support that with evidence and so it was probably best if he kept it quiet. "No, no idea. I can't imagine why anyone would. The professors surely wouldn't want to put me in danger and the other students...Well, their reaction to it probably proves that none of them are happy about it."

"They have been hostile towards you?" Sephiran asked sympathetically.

"It could be a lot worse, I think they're all wary of Draco and Father to be too obvious, but I am getting looks and the odd comment." Harry explained as the house-elf returned with their tea and a service of cups and milk and sugar. "Shall I pour?"

"If you like." Sephiran consented and Harry picked up the pot and poured its contents into a cup. When it was sufficiently full, he offered it to his teacher. "There is no way for you to be removed from the competition?" The Elf inquired as he accepted the cup of tea.

"No, Father and even Uncle Lucius have tried everything, searched for any loop-hole." Harry sighed as he finished pouring his own tea. "There's nothing we can do, I have to compete, it's a binding contract."

"I see." The High Priest murmured regretfully. "What about for religious reasons? If any of the task would require you to break the Vow of Pacifism..."

"Uncle Lucius tried that." The Gryffindor said after Sephiran trailed off upon seeing him shaking his head. "They didn't tell us exactly what the tasks were or what they included but they did assure us that none of them would involve having to fight; no duelling or having to attack anything."

"Well, at least that is something to be thankful for." He paused for a moment and looked at his mature student who was staring glumly into his tea cup. "This is all happening for a reason Haryon."

Harry nodded. "Yes, I know. After last year, I trust in the Great Lady's plan completely. I don't see how at the moment, but I know She will make sure everything will turn out all right in the end."

"And that fills my heart with joy to hear you say that." Sephiran smiled kindly. "Of course, I will be more than happy to assist you."

"But we're supposed to stand alone; we're not allowed outside help." Harry pointed out which prompted a playful, conspiratorial smirk to cross the Elvish man's face, something which Harry had never seen on the man before.

"And you're not technically allowed to compete." Sephiran reminded.

Harry blinked at his teacher a few times before he gave a small smile in reply.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

14th November 1994: Morning

"Excited Harry?" Hermione inquired from where she was sitting beside him at the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

"About what?" He sighed as he picked at the food Draco had loaded onto his plate for him when it was clear he wasn't going to do it himself.

"The interviews with Rita Skeeter will be printed in today's Daily Prophet." She reminded.

"Oh, right, yeah, I'm excited." Harry said without enthusiasm, causing Fred, George and Draco to snigger in amusement.

At Hermione's confused expression, Draco explained. "Granger, Rita Skeeter is hardly what you'd describe as an ethical reporter. She has no problem with "stretching" the truth if there's any chance it will improve her readership."

"But she's got such a large, dedicated group of readers." Hermione tried to protest.

"Yeah, because she makes up her own truth," Fred replied.

"Which usually turns out to be far more interesting than the actual truth." George continued.

"But surely she can't take it that far? I mean, isn't there a Wizarding equivalent of the PCC or a Code of Conduct?" The Muggle-born inquired.

"PCC?" Harry echoed in confusion.

"Press Complaints Commission; Muggles can complain to them if something incorrect is said against them in a newspaper." She explained.

"Oh. No, there's nothing like that in the Wizarding world as far as I know." Harry told her.

"But that's terrible! So newspapers can just say whatever they want?"

"About certain people; yeah. They probably wouldn't do it with anyone wealthy who could afford to sue them for slander." Draco explained just as the Great Hall began to fill with owls, carrying the morning's mail. "I wonder how many parents saw fit to send their children a copy of the paper today?"

"By the looks of it, all of them." George answered as he tilted his head back and watched all of the owls flying over-head.

Just then, the owls belonging to Harry and the Weasley twins landed in front of them, each carrying a copy of the Daily Prophet with them. Fred and George practically pounced on their owl in their excitement while Draco untied Harry's copy a bit more sedately, glancing at the letter Lucius had included with the delivery before setting it aside. Harry watched the twins in front of him earnestly as their eyes roamed over the article. When Draco unfurled his copy, he held it to the side slightly, silently offering it to his mate.

"No, I can't, you read it." Harry insisted with a shake of his head.

"That's probably for the best mate." George said carefully, not lifting his eyes from the paper.

"And Draco? You might want to reconsider reading this as well." Fred advised, taking a moment to look up.

"I'll take my chances." Draco grunted as he lowered his eyes and began to read.

"Oh my Goddess, is it awful? Is it really that bad?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Well, let's give you an example." Fred offered.

"A tame example." George quickly put in before his brother started to read.

"Half way in it says: "When questioned about the relationship between his faith and the tournament, young Mr Snape replied, "Tests, no matter how dangerous, are encouraged in Havanist culture as they are seen as opportunities the Great Lady provides for us to prove ourselves." Could pressure from his religious elders be the reason young Harry felt the need to enter this tournament?"." Fred read out loud.

"That quote has been taken completely out of context!" Harry protested, jabbing his finger at the twins' newspaper accusingly.

"Have you got to the bit where she suggests that your dad and godfather set you up for all of this?" George asked, looking up from the paper he and his twin were sharing.

"What!" Draco yelled, glaring angrily as his eyes quickly scanned the article for that particular part.

"Ugh, why did I even say anything at all?" Harry groaned as he leaned forward and buried his head in his arms. "Father and Uncle Lucius don't deserve to be dragged into this."

Draco brought his arm around his mate's shoulders in comfort and glared down at the article in question. "I wonder if Father might be able to get her fired...?" He mused, mostly to himself.

"I think it's time we tested out some of our new products, don't you Fred?" George asked with a grin.

"What products?" Hermione asked suspiciously as she reached over Harry to get the newspaper which Draco had obviously finished with.

"Just a few prototypes of some stuff we're thinking of selling in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Fred said with a grin of his own. "Would be interesting to see how effective they are so far the next time Skeeter's hanging about."

"When do you think the next time will be?" George wondered.

"Probably when the time comes for the First Task." Harry sighed, lifting his body in favour of leaning into Draco's warmth.

"So about a week and a half then." Fred concluded.

"Excellent, that gives us plenty of time." George practically cackled.

A moment of silence passed then before Harry suddenly got to his feet, drawing the attention of all his friends onto him. "I have to speak to Father. I'll see you all later." And with that he had turned and was heading out of the Great Hall, knowing that Severus would see him leaving on his own and no doubt follow him. He knew that Draco wouldn't follow him despite the fact he hadn't actually told the blonde he couldn't come and so was safe in the knowledge that if this conversation was going to go badly, it wouldn't be because of the Luna Veela and the Potions Master clashing.

Leaving the Great Hall, Harry lingered in the corridor outside, awaiting the arrival of Severus. Sure enough, a mere minute or so since Harry himself had left than Severus came striding through the doors of the Great Hall, heading straight towards his son. "What's wrong?" The sour man asked as he approached Harry, his tone and his expression unreadable.

"Have you read the article in the Daily Prophet?" Harry asked earnestly.

"I briefly looked over it."

"Did you read the bit about you and Uncle Lucius?" The dark haired teenager questioned. The lack of verbal answer he got was enough of an answer for him. "Oh Father, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He whispered as he moved forward and pressed his face against the man's chest. "I should never have agreed to the interview, I should've just said no comment to everything. She twisted absolutely everything I said and made so much up. I never said anything about you or Uncle Lucius, I honestly didn't."

"Did I ever say you did?" Severus asked gently as he brought his hands to rest on his son's shoulders. Harry stopped talking then but didn't lift his face. "I long ago stopped caring what people say about me Haryon and it has been even longer since I have taken anything the Daily Prophet publishes seriously."

"But she hasn't just insulted you, she's accused you of..." Harry began to protest, lifting his head finally.

"And no doubt your godfather is already far into the process of sorting everything out. I, however, have no interest what so ever in the drivel that woman writes. However, if she's going to upset you in such a manner whenever she writes something I may have to do something."

Harry stared up at his father in disbelief, completely awed by the man's apparent ability to allow everything to slide off him like water off of a duck's back. Merlin, how he wished none of this had ever happened and people would learn to just leave him and his family alone. There were bound to be people out there that would believe the rubbish the Daily Prophet was printing and although Harry didn't care what they thought, he was concerned by the thought that they might try and do something about what they read. After all, if enough people believed that Severus and Lucius really had encouraged him to get into the Tournament, the two men could get in quite a bit of trouble for several reasons. They might even be accused of being the ones who put his name into the Goblet!

"Things will be all right Haryon." Severus reassured Harry as though he had been reading his thoughts. "I promise they will."

And Harry believed him completely.

22nd November 1994: Early Morning

"Guys, where are we going?" Harry practically whined as he followed on behind Fred and George who were leading him through a section of forest near the edge of the Apparation wards which surrounded the school.

It was ridiculously early in the morning, pitch black except for their "Lumos" spells that all three had and, it being the beginning of the British winter, absolutely freezing cold. Even worse, Harry had just been snuggling down in his bed to go to sleep for the night when his sheets and duvet had been so rudely yanked off of him and the twins had immediately started to try and drag him out onto his feet. Whatever it was they wanted to show him, they apparently had a time limit as they hadn't even allowed him to dress or grab a jumper so the cold was made worse by the fact he was wearing only a set of black cotton pyjamas and his slippers.

"You'll see soon enough." Fred assured him, not slowing down their fast pace.

"Can't you just tell me?" The dark haired boy grumbled.

"And ruin the surprise? Of course not!" George cried, aghast, as though the mere idea was a crime.

"But I'm tired and cold and if I get ill I'm gonna tell Draco that it's your fault." He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and hugging himself in an attempt to get warm.

"I'm sure he'll thank us when he finds out why we've got you out here." Fred assured as they continued onwards.

"Why have you got me out here!" Harry demanded again, finally losing his patience.

"They've brought you to see me." A familiar voice came from up ahead and, as the group of teenagers grew closer, Harry was able to make out the form which was paired with the voice.

"Charlie!" The dark haired boy gasped in surprise.

"Good to see ya again Harry." The second eldest Weasley grinned as he came forward and gave the younger boy a one-armed hug. "You've obviously been busy since the World Cup."

"I didn't enter!" Harry insisted causing Charlie to laugh.

"I know, I was just kidding." The red head protested through his chuckles.

"Very funny." The dark haired boy grunted before cheering up and smiling. "What are you doing here though? I thought you went back to Romania to carry on your work with..." Before Harry could finish that sentence, a loud roar came from ahead and Harry's eyes immediately widened at the sound. His eyes flickered past Charlie for a second before moving back onto the Weasley. "You're not..." He said slowly, nervously.

When Harry got no immediate answer, he waited no longer. He moved around Charlie and ran off in the direction the noise had come in. The footsteps of the others with him soon followed so he knew he wouldn't be alone and so didn't stop. He kept going, right until a stream of fire flared several metres in front of him. When the flames disappeared, what was ahead of him became all too clear and he skidded to a stop, his eyes widening in complete disbelief.

"Dragons! That's the first task? You're joking!" Harry cried, staring at the caged dragons in horror as the group of Weasleys reached him again.

"Oh c'mon Harry, dragons are seriously misunderstood creatures." Charlie insisted just as one of the dragons, the most vicious looking one, thrashed so violently it shook the cage it was locked in before releasing a burst of flame. The trio of teenagers took a step backwards in fear whilst Charlie only sighed slightly. "Although, I have to admit, that Horntail is a right nasty piece of work."

"Oh my Goddess...They expect me to fight a dragon..." Harry breathed, as though it only just really sunk in for him. "What in Merlin's name am I supposed to do; I can't fight a dragon!" He cried, bringing his hands to cup over his mouth.

"Well, look on the bright side." Fred said.

"At least you've got a leg up on Diggory." George continued.

"Chances are that that Veela's gonna know because of her," Fred inclined his head in Hagrid's and Madame Maxime's direction who were much closer to the dragons than the four of them were.

"And I saw the Durmstrang Headmaster hanging around earlier." Charlie put in.

"And now you know so Diggory's the only one who doesn't." George pointed out.

"Which gives you the advantage over at least one of them." Fred concluded with a grin.

An advantage over at least one of his opponents; surely that should've been somewhat of a relief to Harry. Yet it wasn't. Instead, it worried him. Cedric was going to go up against a dragon without knowing anything while the rest of them could fully prepare themselves. Surely that wasn't right?

23rd November 1994: Midday

It was the lunch break but eating was the last thing on Harry's mind. He had passed eating anything in favour of hunting down Cedric. What Fred and George had said about having the advantage over the Hufflepuff, it didn't seem fair, so he was going to tell him about the dragons. It was the right thing to do and it wasn't as though Harry was particularly bothered about winning; he'd be quite content in staying alive.

What with being alone at that moment as Draco was speaking to Severus about something which Harry wasn't allowed to listen to for some reason, people were daring to be a bit more vocal in their dislike towards him. As he hurried through corridors he was treated to quick calls of "Snape stinks" and "Cedric rules" and other such things which were supposed to hurt his feelings. It was more of just an annoyance though as Harry had long ago learnt to ignore the opinions of other people when it came to himself as a person. When people tried to bar his way, he simply pushed pass them without word of even bothering to look at them. They were a waste of his time, time he didn't have to spare.

Finally, Harry finally spotted Cedric surrounded by a group of his friends. He cringed a little, this wasn't going to easy while he was surrounded by friends but he was determined to tell the Hufflepuff and so headed over intently. Upon reaching the group, Cedric instantly sat up and paid attention to the dark haired boy while his friends began to try and chase him off with sharp words and harsh looks. Harry blocked them out though and concentrated on Cedric.

"Can I have a word?" He asked quietly.

"Um...All right." Cedric agreed, standing up. That encouraged his friends to start up even more as Harry led him off a small ways and Cedric simply turned to them and laughed along.

The moment they were far away enough, Harry turned to face the older boy, wanting to finish this as fast as possible. "Dragons, that's the first task. They're got one for each of us."

"C'mon Ced!" One of the Hufflepuff's friends called, distracting him for a second.

For a couple of seconds, Cedric didn't seem to know what to say but then he finally spoke, his tone was really un-nerved. "Are you serious?" The Gryffindor nodded gently. "And, um, Fleur and Krum, do they...?"

"Yes." Harry confirmed with another nod, knowing what was about to be asked.

"C'mon Ced, leave him!" Another of Cedric's friends called over to them.

"Right, okay." The Hufflepuff said with a nod. Harry nodded back to him and turned to walk away. However, Cedric quickly reached for him and caught his arm to stop him. "Hey listen, about what they're saying; I've told them not to..." He began to apologise.

"Don't worry about it." Harry dismissed it easily, gently pulling away. He offered the older boy a soft smile before turning and walking away. But, he had barely taken two steps before he spotted a furious looking Draco marching over to him. "Is there something wrong?" He asked, concerned, as he hurried his pace to meet him.

"What was that?" The blonde demanded firmly.

Harry blinked at him a few times in startled confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"With Diggory just now, what was that?"

"It was nothing, I was just telling him about tomorrow." Harry answered innocently, unsure of what it was that had Draco so agitated.

"And what part of that required him to touch you?" The Luna Veela fumed.

"He was just holding me back to apologise for his friends...Draco, what is this all about?" The dark haired boy asked carefully.

"Are you seeing him behind my back?" Draco asked bluntly.

"What? No! Where the heck did you get that idea from?"

"Fred and George seem to think you'd be good with Diggory and I can't say he seemed too eager to let you go."

"Draco, Cedric's just a friend and I was just warning him about what's gonna happen tomorrow. Honestly, there's nothing to be suspicious of, you're being ridiculous." No sooner had those last few words had left his lips, than Harry bit back a groan and instantly realised his mistake. "I didn't mean..." He tried to amend but it was too late; Draco looked beyond angry.

"I'm being ridiculous am I? Well other people don't seem to think I am, I heard Granger noting on his feelings for you too!" The blonde hissed dangerously.

"Please Draco, calm down..." The dark haired boy pleaded softly, reaching out to touch the Slytherin's arm. However, Draco flinched away quickly, out of the Gryffindor's reach.

"Do you even love me? Or are you in love with the prissy Hufflepuff bastard and just playing some sort of sick game on me!" The Veela hissed venomously as he leaned in closer to his mate.

Harry winced slightly at the tone and weakly tried to protest his innocence. "I don't..."

"Forget it." Draco practically snarled as he turned and stomped away.

Harry watched him go, completely confused. What on Earth had just happened there? One minute he'd been talking to Cedric the next he was being yelled at by Draco over something so completely unfounded. It was stupid, there was no reason for Draco to even suspect that there was something going on between him and Cedric. Even if the Hufflepuff was interested in him, there was no way Harry would do anything with him, if only because he was quite firmly in love with Draco. And he thought the blonde Veela understood that. He sighed; obviously not.

With another light sigh, Harry turned away from where he and Draco had been arguing and started forward, heading back into the school. He had a lesson with Sephiran in an hour or two and he wanted to go back to his dorm room and get his stuff ready.

For a while, Harry was able to walk through the grounds of Hogwarts undisturbed. But it was too good to last and eventually, he heard his name being called to his side. He turned and looked to see a group of Sixth Year Slytherins gathered around a tree which Bethany Zabini was slouching against. Harry carried on, determined to ignore the group, until Zabini spoke to him again. "All alone Snape? Where's your precious Veela?"

"I'm not his keeper." Was Harry's only reply as he carried on walking.

"You know Snape, I was speaking with my father the other day," Bethany told him and that caught his attention and brought him to a stop. "I told him about the tournament, about how you cheated your way into it. He disagreed with me though and told me someone like you wouldn't do something like that. You're too weak and too cowardly to even try." The group of Slytherins sniggered at that and Harry only rolled his eyes.

"As much as it may shock you Bethany, I don't particularly care what an ignorant shrew like yourself thinks and I care even less what your vile, Death Eater father thinks. So if you don't mind, I'll just be going now as I have a lesson this afternoon." He replied before turning away from the group and walking off again.

Harry was none-the-wiser that Bethany had whipped out her wand as he turned his back to her and only found out when he heard Professor Moody from his side: "Zabini! I'll teach you for trying to hex someone when their back's turned!"

Harry turned then and watched as the DADA professor turned Bethany Zabini into a little black and white skunk. He couldn't help but laugh at the sight and as the rest of the Slytherins immediately backed away from where she was scurrying around on the floor. However, when he noticed Professor McGonagall approaching, looking extremely annoyed as she'd probably seen everything, he decided that making himself scarce was probably a good idea. So, with a grin still wide on his face, he turned back around and hurried on down the corridor.

23rd November 1994: Afternoon

"Dragons you say?"

"Yes High Priest."

"My...I must admit I never expected something like that...Do you have any idea what exactly you'll be required to do?"

"No High Priest, I'm not completely sure."

"I see. Have you started to think of a plan of action."

"No...That's really bad, isn't it?"

"Well, it's not exactly good, no."

"Oh Goddess, what am I going to do?"

"I think Haryon, that it is time I introduce you to a method of spell casting which is shared between the Wizarding and the Elvish world."

"What?"

"I'm going to assume that you're not allowed to take in anything but your wand to the task?" A nod. "Then I cannot help you with spells you can cast with your staff and my knowledge is not extensive enough to help you with Wizarding spells. However, I can teach you a method of spell-casting which is shared between our two cultures."

"Really? What is it?"

"Tell me Haryon, how good is your singing voice?"

23rd November 1994: Evening

When Harry entered the Great Hall for dinner that evening, he immediately began to search for a familiar head of long, frizzy brown hair. The, the instant he spotted it and subsequently the girl the hair belonged to, sitting on her own at the Gryffindor table, he practically ran over to her, slumping down on the bench beside her, surprising her into looking at him. "I need your help." He told her rather frantically.

"Of course I'll help you Harry." Hermione told him as she turned her full attention onto him. "Is it about tomorrow?" She asked quietly, keeping her voice down so they weren't over-heard. "Do you have a plan now?"

Harry nodded. "High Priest Sephiran helped me figure out what I need to do and how I can do it. I just need someone to help me practise."

"Well, like I said, of course I'll help you if you need me but why don't you just ask Draco? I would've thought he'd be more your skill level." Hermione pointed out.

Harry leaned forward slightly, resting his elbow on the edge of the table and then propping his chin on his hand, his eyes staring glumly at the dish of mashed potatoes in front of him. "Draco's mad at me; I doubt I'll see him for the rest of the day."

Hermione glanced to the dark haired boy beside her before her eyes flickered over the top of him. "If that's the case then why is he coming straight over here?"

Harry's eyes shot up from where they had previously been staring to look at her younger girl beside him. Then, he turned his head to see that, indeed, the blonde Veela was heading over to them, not looking particularly angry, not looking particularly anything really. It begged the question whether Draco really had calmed down or whether he was just going to sit at the Gryffindor table as that was what was expected of him now. The dark haired boy turned his head back to face forward and let his eyes drop again, avoiding any eye-contact with the Slytherin.

The sound of Draco's footsteps soon reached him and then soon stopped as he came to stand at Harry's side. "Granger." Draco greeted her coolly.

"Malfoy." She returned, her eyes flickering onto Harry who was still not looking at the Luna Veela.

"Could you give us a minute?" The Slytherin inquired.

"You don't have to go anywhere Hermione." Harry quickly intervened as the younger girl began to rise, lifting his head to give her a pointed look. Hermione's gaze flickered from her friend to the Veela before she seemed to make up her mind and settled back down. "Anything Draco has to say can be said in front of you, I'm sure." Harry told her, though the other two knew he was actually addressing Draco.

A short pause followed and, although Harry couldn't be sure as he was still staring at the table, he imagined that Draco was summoning the will to swallow his pride and apologise. Because Harry was owed an apology. He'd done nothing and yet had been treated as though he was guilty and although he sympathised with his Veela for having to struggle to control his instinctual jealousy, to completely fly off the handle over something so innocent could not become a regular occurrence.

"I want to...Apologise." Draco quietly admitted eventually.

"Oh?" Harry replied, still not looking at the Slytherin; no way was he going to make this easy for the other teenager.

"What happened earlier...I'm sorry it did, I over-reacted."

"Yes, you did." The dark haired boy agreed.

"Harry..." Draco growled warningly.

Finally, the Gryffindor lifted his head to look at him. "You have no right to speak to me in that tone Draco Malfoy. I'm the innocent party in this, completely innocent, and if I want to make this difficult for you, I will." He paused then, watching as annoyance, guilt and then dread flittered across the young aristocrat's face. "However," he sighed, taking pity on his mate. "You came and apologised much sooner than I thought you would, so come sit and we'll forget all about it alright?"

The Veela obviously didn't have to be told twice as he quickly sat down, wrapping an arm around Harry's waist once he was seated, pulling the smaller form a little closer against his own. "I really am sorry, you know?" He whispered as he nuzzled the dark haired boy's neck lovingly.

"I know you are, that's why I've let you off so easily." Harry replied before kissing the corner of Draco's mouth and then turning his attention back to Hermione who had concentrated on her meal as the two older boys had been making up. "So what time would be good for you to start practising?"

"Practising for what?" Draco interrupted before Hermione could answer.

"Harry wants some help with the spell he's using tomorrow in the task." The girl said instead of giving her answer to Harry.

"Why didn't you ask me?" The blonde asked his mate with a light frown.

"Because you were being a prat, remember?" Harry grinned lightly. "You can help too though; the more the better after all. So," he looked to Hermione again. "When would be good for you?"

"Any time will be fine; I can put off doing a couple of assignments for something as important as this." The younger girl assured him.

Then, before any of them could say anything else, Fred and George came striding alone side by side, taking their seat across from the three who were already present. "Alright there you lot?" George greeted them with a smile, instantly starting to load his plate with food.

"What we all talking about?" Fred inquired as he too filled his plate.

"Hermione and Draco are going to help me practise for tomorrow; wanna help?" Harry answered.

"We'd love to mate,"

"But we can't."

"Why not?" Hermione asked with a curious frown.

"We're, uh, working on, ah..." George struggled.

"A little business venture." Fred filled in.

"Yes, yes, a little business venture." George agreed quickly.

"You mean the bets you're taking as to what the scores are gonna be after the task tomorrow?" Harry inquired, grinning a little at the astonished looks the twins were giving him. "You left a few slips on your bed George."

"Harry, about those..." Fred started uncomfortably, stopping instantly when Harry waved off the on-coming apology.

"So the majority of people are betting against me; big deal." Harry said with a smile. "Good for them is what I say, after all, I'm not even going to try, not really. I just want to get out of this alive, I don't care about winning."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" George asked carefully.

"Of course I don't; let people do what they want, that's what I say." The dark haired boy smiled, discreetly poking Draco in the ribs when he felt the blonde tense, no doubt in irritation that people were betting against his mate. "And if it makes you some money to go towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes then good for you."

The two Weasley twins stared at Harry in something akin to amazement for a few seconds before two dazzling grins broke out on both their faces. "You're brilliant, you know that Harry?"

Harry merely smiled in reply.

23rd November 1994: Night

With only the clicking of his heels on the stone floor for company, Harry wandered towards the classroom that he and Hermione had arranged with Draco to meet him for their practice that night. Due to the quiet of the night which surrounded him, it wasn't hard for Harry to pick up on the sound of another pair of footsteps joining his. He knew they weren't coming from Hermione and they sounded to heavy to belong to Draco which instantly put him on edge. So, without stopping, he cautiously glanced over his shoulder to catch a peek at who was following him.

A small spike of apprehension ran through him upon seeing that it was Professor Moody a few feet behind him. It was dark, he was alone with a man he trusted just about as far as he could probably throw him and it was very likely that no one else was in the surrounding area; this could turn out to be very, very bad.

Steeling himself and fully prepared to defend himself if necessary, Harry stopped walking and turned to face the man behind him. "Is there something you needed Professor?" He asked politely, giving away none of his suspicion.

The DADA professor appeared to be slightly startled at being spoken to so suddenly but he soon recovered and returned to his usual, gruff manner. "What are you doing out this late Snape? Shouldn't you be getting some rest for tomorrow?"

"Actually Professor, I'm on my way to practice for tomorrow. It's doubtful I'd sleep if I tried so I thought it best to prepare instead." Harry revealed.

"I see. So what's your plan Snape?"

"I really don't see how that is any of your concern Professor." Harry replied coolly. "Good night." He wished politely before turning and quickly walking away, not wanting to spend any more time with the suspicious ex-Auror.

As no footsteps followed him, Harry guessed that the professor wasn't following him and so allowed himself to relax and calm his pace. So, when he reached the correct classroom, he had calmed down considerably, the anxiety felt over the DADA teacher's presence long forgotten. When Harry stepped into the classroom, he saw instantly that Draco had already arrived and was perched on the edge of a table, reading his text book for Ancient Runes.

"Have you been waiting long?" Harry inquired by way of greeting as he shut the door behind himself.

"Doesn't matter, I know I got here early." Was the answer Draco gave before he pecked a kiss on the dark haired boy's cheek who had come over to him. "Where's Granger?" He inquired curiously.

"She's nearing the end of an assignment she started and wants to finish. She said she'll be along in a few minutes." Harry explained as he shrugged off his outer robe, leaving him in a pair of black jeans and a dark green jumper.

"Is that a few actual minutes or actually about quarter of an hour?" The Luna Veela inquired as he eyed up his mate appreciatively.

"Why does it matter?" Harry asked, confused.

"Well, I was just thinking," Draco leered as he put his book to the side and got to his feet, striding up to Harry slowly, his gaze never leaving him. "We never "made up" after our fight, did we?"

For once, Harry caught onto Draco's meeting rather quickly and he gave his Veela an amused grin. "It didn't even last for half a day, I hardly think a make up session in necessary." He reasoned in a teasing manner.

"Then we're at a disagreement." Draco murmured softly, stepping right up to the dark haired boy so that there was only a millimetre of air between their bodies.

"Hmm, so we are." Harry agreed, tilting his head back ever so slightly in order to maintain eye contact. "What do you think we should do about it?"

"Well, we don't want another fight do we?" The Veela whispered and Harry found all he could do was shake his head mutely. "Then I don't think we should talk about it anymore." And with that, the last of the distance between them was crossed and their lips connected.

Their kiss was slow and languid, no real rush behind it, but it was arousing none-the-less. Things soon began to intensify between the two boys and Harry brought his hands up to the back of Draco's head in order to lace his fingers through the blonde strands and bring the other body ever closer to his own. The kiss never became hurried though. It retained its languid quality, even when tongues met and teeth nipped at lips, it never became frantic or rushed. That was probably the reason that, with the sensation of the front of his jeans being undone, Harry still had enough mind left to break the kiss and give Draco a disapproving look.

"And just what do you think you're doing Mr Malfoy?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why Mr Snape, I do believe I'm trying to get into your trousers." Draco replied with his own raised eyebrow.

"Well you'll just have to control yourself for now; Hermione could walk in at any minute." Harry pointed out as he stepped back a pace and went to fix his jeans back in place. However, his hands had barely reached the zip before they were grabbed and he was yanked against Draco's body again."Draco!"

"For some reason," the blonde said, gently thrusting a knee in between the dark haired boy's legs, pressing against the noticeable bulge there. "I'm finding it hard to believe you don't want this."

Harry moaned at the friction against his confined erection but was still determined to not let the situation go any further. "Draco, we should stop, we can't do this..."

"No, I think we can actually, and I also think it's the perfect time to try something..." Draco grinned wickedly as kept Harry's wrists clasped in his left hand and he brought his right hand down to his mouth and slipped his index finger in between his lips before proceeding to make a show of licking it and covering it in his saliva.

Harry watched with wide eyes, completely transfixed, as he occasionally caught a glimpse of the pink, soft tongue which was sliding oh so sensually over the finger. Then, when Draco pulled his finger out of his mouth, the dark haired boy's eyes widened even more as the blonde lowered his arm and shifted his hand behind him and slipped it into his loosened trousers. Harry's jaw dropped as his mind ran a mile a minute; surely he wasn't going to...

A choked gasp escaped the inexperienced boy as the cooling, saliva-slicked finger fingered his opening tenderly before just the tip was very slowly pressed past the ring of muscle and into Harry's body. "Y-you can't be serious?" He managed to get out despite the strange, though extremely pleasurable, sensation continued.

"You should know by now Harry that when it comes to us, I am always completely serious." Draco whispered in Harry's ear as he freed the dark haired boy's arms and began to move the finger he had inside the smaller boy in small circles, stretching him ever so carefully. Then, once he had finished speaking, he latched on to the lobe of the ear he whispered into and began to flick the tip of his tongue against it.

"H-here th-though?" Harry stammered out, finding that he had to lean forward and hold onto his Veela's shoulder before his legs gave way or something.

"Yes, right here." Draco smirked quietly, pausing in tormenting Harry's ear, as he pushed his finger in fully.

"Wh-wh...What about Her-Herm..." Harry struggled to say as the finger inside him started to rub relentlessly over his prostate. He felt his legs wobble dangerously and couldn't stop the mew of pleasure which fought its way out of his throat.

"I wouldn't worry about that," The Veela assured, never stopping his fingering as he reached in with his left hand and grasped Harry's erection causing the dark haired boy to suck in a deep breath and buck into the hand. "I don't think you'll last much longer, do you?" He asked in an almost teasing manner as the smaller teenager muffled a moan into the crook of his neck.

Indeed, Harry's inexperience was always going to mean that this encounter full of new sensations would not last long and it only took a few more pulls and a few more thrusts before the Gryffindor released a low whine against the smooth slope of the base of Draco's neck and moved his hips against the fist and the finger which were both still tormenting him, bringing out every last, tiny sensation they could possibly get out of him.

Eventually, the movements inside and around Harry stopped and he was allowed to come down from his high as the warmth of the afterglow set in. His legs felt like jelly and he was thankful for the fact that Draco had remained sturdy throughout, acting as an effective post for him to lean against. Slowly, the hand down the front of his trousers pulled out before the finger inside him began to very carefully retract. However, despite the care taken, a slight twinge of pain shot through Harry as it slid out completely and he winced a little at the sensation.

"Sorry, did that hurt?" Draco asked gently as the hand left his trousers and arms came around his body to hold him close.

"Little bit." Harry murmured, sounding completely relaxed, as he nuzzled the blonde's neck. "Doesn't matter though, it's fine now."

"Good."

A few minutes of stillness came then as Draco cast a few cleaning charms on them both and zipped and buttoned up Harry's trousers for him. Once that was all done, they settled down on the floor, against a wall, Harry snuggled against the blonde's side who kept an arm around the dark haired boy's shoulders and held his left hand with his own paler one.

"I didn't expect you to do that." Harry noted lazily.

"Which bit?"

"The, uh, the fingering." The dark haired boy said with a blush.

"Ah, I see. Did you mind?" Draco asked, his tone tinged with a hint of concern.

"No, not at all, it was...Nice." Harry admitted shyly.

"Good, it was supposed to be. I thought we should start getting you used to it early so that it hopefully won't hurt as much when we go all the way." The blonde explained.

"Early?" The dark haired boy echoed in confusion. "You're not planning on us...You know, for a while then? Don't we have to bond?"

"There's no hurry to bond." Draco assured him with a smile. "Like I told Fleur, you're not ready for that yet. And knowing Sev and his opinions on you and sex no doubt being reflected on how he raised you, I wouldn't be in the least surprised if you want to wait until we're married to go all the way, hmm?" Harry said nothing to that, secretly glad that Draco had figured that out on his own. "I don't mind, I'm willing to wait."

"What about right now?" Harry asked a little awkwardly, blushing, referring to the noticeable bulge which was still visible in the blonde's lap. "Do you want me to...Uh...Return the favour, so to speak?"

Draco chuckled lightly and leaned his head to the side in order to rest his cheek on top of his mate's head. "No, that's all right. Like you said earlier, Hermione; I don't fancy her walking in on anything. But I will remember that offer the next time we're alone my dear." He ended with a light leer before he lifted his head again, tilting Harry's head at the same time so they were facing each other. Then, he leaned down and captured the Gryffindor's lips in a light kiss.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

24th November 1994: Afternoon

Harry was nervous. No, scratch that; he was past being nervous. He felt ill, his hands were shaking and he kept getting the words to the Prayer of Protection wrong, a prayer that he knew off by heart. In no more than an hour's time, he'd be in front of the entire population of Hogwarts, plus Lucius who had insisted on coming to watch, going against a dragon of all things. And all he had to defend himself was his wand and worse still, even if worse came to worse and he was in a life or death situation, he couldn't attack the dragon; because he was "voluntarily" going into the dragon's den, he lost the privilege to wave the Vow of Pacifism. If he attacked the dragon during the task, he would essentially be breaking his vow.

While the other three champions milled around the tent nervously, Harry sat on a bench at the side, his head bowed and his hands clasped together and resting against his forehead as his lips moved with his murmured prayer which he was frequently stumbling over. He blamed it on the fact he didn't have his pendant with him; he'd had to leave it with Severus that morning as he wasn't allowed to take it into the arena with him.

When a hand gently landed on his shoulder, Harry almost went tumbling off of the bench in surprise. He managed to maintain his balance though and looked up to see Cedric standing just next to him, looking worried. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, I was just, uh, praying. Or at least trying to." Harry answered with nervous enthusiasm, getting to his feet.

"Nerves affecting your memory?" The older boy guessed to which Harry just nodded as he wrung his hands together in agitation. "I'm exactly the same when it comes to exams." Cedric told him lightly.

"Merlin, I wish it was only an exam we were about to take." Harry said as his hands continued to squeeze and pull at each other, his eyes staring off to the side.

"Hey, calm down, it's okay." Cedric said softly as he reached forward and took both of Harry's hands in his. Instantly, Harry stopped all movement as surprise took over. "You're hands a trembling," the Hufflepuff noted gently, keeping hold of both of Harry's hands.

For a long moment, Harry found he was powerless to do anything. At one point he did manage to lift his head in order to look up at the taller boy who was holding his hands but other than that and his uncontrollable trembling, he remained still. Then, the position he was in suddenly seemed to catch up to the present and register in his brain. With a slightly startled gasp, he quickly pulled his hands away and took a step back, trying his hardest to ignore the brief look of confused hurt that flashed across Cedric's face.

"I...I uh..." Harry stammered as he took another step backwards. "I need some air." He finally settled on and hurried over to the edge of the tent where there was split to allow entry and exit and then rushed outside into the day light and fresh air.

What on Earth had that been about? For almost three months, Harry had been insisting that Cedric just liked him as a friend or more likely just as an acquaintance. Now, this happens and suddenly the Gryffindor was doubting how accurate that outlook was himself. Had everyone seen it before he had? Was Cedric interested in him? But he was going out with that Fourth Year Ravenclaw, so surely even if he was interested on a physical level, because it had to be physical as they barely knew each other really, he wouldn't act on it...

"Harry, are you okay?"

The question cut through Harry's nearly frantic thoughts like a knife and his mind hushed in order to allow him to concentrate on answering. He focussed his attention on who it was now standing just in front of him and was somewhat surprised to see Hermione standing there, gazing at him with an anxious expression on her face.

"You look pale, do you feel all right?" The Fourth Year girl continued to ask worriedly.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, really. It was just stuffy in the tent, I needed some air." He told her with a smile, waving his hand a little as though to bat away her concern.

"It's almost time for things to get going." She said nervously.

"Yeah."

"The key is to not panic." She advised, sounding as if she didn't know what else to say. "After that it'll be easier and you just have to..."

"Battle a dragon." He ended for her.

No sooner had he said that than Hermione had given a small, tearful noise and then all but leapt into Harry's arms. For a few seconds they remained in their hug before a bright flash caught their attention. They spilt immediately, each taking a step backwards away from each other, and turned to see Rita Skeeter standing a few feet behind them, a floating pad and quill following her. She walked around a photographer who had no doubt been the one who had just taken the picture of the two Gryffindors.

"Forbidden love!" The woman breathed, grinning widely. "How..." She hesitated, searching for the right word. "Stirring." Having now fully gained the attention of the two teenagers, she seemed oblivious to the fact that they were both glaring at her quite angrily. "If everything goes...Unfortunately today, you two might even make the front page." She told them as though it was something to aim towards.

"How dare you..." Hermione began to say, taking a step forward, but was interrupted by a voice behind both her and Harry.

Turning curiously, both Gryffindors were rather shocked to see Viktor Krum standing in between the parted material of the tent, a hard look on his face. "You have no business here." The Durmstrang student said, walking forward to confront the woman. "This tent is for champions and friends."

The reporter looked up at him somewhat coyly after that before her eyes flickered back onto Harry and Hermione who were both still looking pretty annoyed. Whether common sense told her she couldn't win here or she just had no need to fight, she gave in to the request. "No matter, we've got what we wanted." And with that, the reporter and her photographer walked away, back the way they had originally come from.

Despite the fact Harry continued to glare at the woman as she left, he also noticed out of the corner of his eye that Hermione and Krum were now standing closer together and apparently talking. Although the dark haired teenager wasn't able to hear what they were saying, if the blush on Hermione's cheeks was anything to go by, Harry had been right in his hunch that Krum was at least attracted to the girl.

Just then, a call from inside the tent in the voice of Professor Dumbledore came, asking all of the Triwizard contestants to gather around. Harry felt his heart speed up and his hands begin to tremble again as he turned to head back into the tent; this was the beginning.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

The silence as Harry stepped into the rocky arena was deafening. After the chanting of his name ended, everyone had immediately fallen into the ringing quiet which now lay like a heavy blanket over them all. His footsteps on the rock and loose stones seemed terribly loud and he was all too aware of the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of eyes that were all fixed on him. Worse still, he couldn't see where the dragon was from where he was currently standing so he was at an immediate disadvantage. At least he wasn't watching himself do this; he could only imagine how awful this had to be for his family to see.

Carefully, Harry moved further into the area, always keeping his eyes open for the dragon, wherever it was. When he climbed up onto a fairly large rock, he still couldn't see where the dragon was but he could see the nest containing the ordinary dragon eggs and the one golden egg which he had to get to complete the task. Surely this was too good to be true? He couldn't possibly just dash up there and grab the egg without even having to see the dragon...Couldn't he? There was no dragon in sight and where exactly was something that big going to hide? He could make a run for it and just pray to the Great Lady that he got away with it...Should he risk it though? And if he didn't, what was he going to do?

He knew he had a time limit, he knew there were a lot of people watching him and he knew he had to at least attempt the task, so he decided to go for it. Slowly, he pulled his wand free from where it was in the pocket of his robes and pointed it to the sky: "Accio Firebolt." He cast quietly before then easing himself down from the rock he was on, landing at the base of it with a light thud. He paused for a moment to see if the slight noise attracted the attention. Once it was clear the dragon was still totally absent, he sucked in a steeling breath and waited for his Firebolt to arrive.

A few minutes passed before the broom stick arrived, floating down to him slow enough for him to seize it in mid-air. Harry wasted no time in straddling it and then kicking off, darting over to the nest and the golden egg with remarkable speed. Unfortunately, the unlikely situation turned out to be just that, unlikely. When the Gryffindor was about two metres away from the nest, the dragon finally made an appearance. It came leaping up from a crevice behind the nest, which had been hidden from Harry's sight before, and landed right in front of the boy, blocking him off from the nest and almost squashing him in the process.

A fearful gasp rose up from the audience which Harry tried his best to ignore in favour of getting out of the way. He reared the Firebolt back, effectively stalling himself before he collided with the dragon. Then, he dodged to the side, intending to dip into the lower level where he would be somewhat protected by the rocks. However, before he could quite get down that far, he heard another gasp from the audience moments before something heavy and hard collided solidly with his back. His breath left his lungs in a whoosh as he was launched to the side. Harry was sent all the way to the side of the arena where he was then stopped by the side which he collided with roughly. A crack sounded next to him as he collided with the hard rock but there was no pain to go along with the crack which was strange. He slid down to the ground in a crumpled heap and then stayed there motionless for a few seconds trying to recapture his breath.

Okay, so that hadn't been a particularly good idea. It was all right though, he wasn't out yet, he still had the plan he had discussed with High Priest Sephiran. What had just happened was a good thing, it had brought the dragon into the open, things could start moving along now. Well, it could as soon as he could persuade his aching body to move.

Suddenly, above him, the sound of the dragon sucking in air in preparation to release a blazing mass of fire came and Harry quickly realised that he didn't have the luxury of taking his time to recover. Summoning all his strength, he scrambled to the side, his muscles screaming in protest, where there was an over-hanging rock which would protect him completely. He got to safety just in time and he winced at the sound of the rushing fire and at the heat which suddenly flowed around him as he went to put his wand back into his robe.

Harry gave a small cringe of pain as he sat up properly, using the rock he was hiding behind as support. Upon lifting his head, he saw that his Firebolt, which was still laying where he had landed, had snapped in two, no doubt from the impact against the wall. That had obviously been the crack he'd heard. Oh well, better the broom stick than his leg.

As he continued to try and recover as fully as the circumstances would allow, he looked up at the section of the audience which was visible to him; the Gryffindors. With a little bit of searching, he had soon located everyone who was of interest to him. Violet and her friends stood out the best as they were all dressed in pink and silver, the official colours of the cheer-section they had created for him, though they weren't cheering that moment; Violet actually looked like she was about to burst into tears. A little further across was Hermione, Fred, George and Draco: Hermione had both of her hands covering her mouth; Fred and George were looking rather concerned but were mostly concentrating on holding back the blonde Luna Veela who was struggling against them, silver eyes fixed on his mate, no doubt wanting to get down to Harry's level to protect him. A little above that group was Ron and Potter; neither appeared to be enjoying Harry's misery which was a good thing he supposed.

Finally, Harry felt strong enough to heave himself up onto his feet. His back was killing him and his head was thumping with pain, but he ignored it as much as he could. After edging to the side of the rock he was hiding behind, he carefully peered around the side to see where the dragon was. A sense of relief washed through him when he saw it was back over by its nest, still completely visible and also a good distance away. It was time to put his plan into action.

The dragon saw him the instant he came out from around the rock and roared in warning, standing in preparation to attack if necessary. Harry continued forward regardless, swallowing back a lump of fear before clearing his throat somewhat nervously. As he carried on, closer to the dragon, he opened his mouth and began what he had been practising for so long the previous night:

"Onaji hoshi ni umare onaji toki wo ikite  
Meguriaeta koto ni motto yasashiku naritai  
Onaji sora wo mitsume onaji kaze wo kiite  
Wakariaeru kokoro shinjite mitai(1)."

He sung softly, as intended, and luckily in the hush of the arena, his voice easily carried towards the dragon. Slowly, as Harry continued to sing and walked forward cautiously, the Horntail began to quieten. By the time the Gryffindor had reached the beast, it had completely relaxed, even going so far as to lay down where it had once been standing.

A swell of triumph and relief gathered in Harry and he grinned like a mad-man as he reached the dragon's side. He was tempted to pause to pet the dragon or at least run his fingers over the scales but that desire was over-taken by the fear of even the slightest wrong move breaking the spell his song had created. With him being as close as he was to the creature and the nest, the spell breaking at that moment could very well cost him his life.

When Harry reached the nest, he didn't grab the egg straight away. He was predicting that the moment he grabbed the golden egg, a huge cheer would rise up and that would cover up his singing and free the dragon of the state of calm which had settled over it. It was necessary to get into a good position to dash away quickly as soon as the egg was with him so that he wasn't attacked straight after he had completed the task. So, he carefully stepped over all the normal dragon eggs, trying to keep an eye on where he was putting his feet and on the relaxed dragon at the same time. Then, when he was finally in position behind the golden egg, he took in a deep breath to prepare himself before he'd have to start to move.

It all happened in an instant. One moment Harry had his hands hovering over the golden egg, ready to grab it, still softly singing. Then, the egg was in his hands, the crowd at burst into cheering and his spell had effectively been ruined. He turned to run away and so never saw the long tail swishing towards him at a dangerous pace. It smashed into Harry's back and sent him flying forward, though he made sure to hold the golden egg closely to his chest so that he didn't lose it.

He landed down a crevices with dull thump and soon after, he heard the sound of the dragon keepers coming in to control the dragon now that he had officially completed the task. Harry released a sigh of relief and allowed himself to smile despite the fact he hurt everywhere. All in all, that could've gone a lot worse.

24th November 1994: Evening

Harry winced in pain as he shifted slightly on the Infirmary bed he was sitting on, placed firmly at Draco's side. The moment he had finished the First Task, he had been taken straight to the Infirmary where the other three before him had also gone after their tasks. Madam Pomfrey had got to work on him instantly, cleaning his many cuts, putting his arm, which was apparently injured, in a sling and applying salve to all the areas which would no doubt bruise from all the rough treatment he had received. Draco and Lucius had soon arrived to keep him company. Where was Severus? He was joining in on the debate as to whether Harry was to be disqualified.

Some of the judges, (aka Karkaroff) were insisting that Harry be disqualified as the spell he had used had been a Havanist one and therefore wasn't allowed. As far as the teenager knew, Dumbledore was pleading his innocence while his father was actually supporting Karkaroff if only to get his son out of having to do anymore tasks. Harry knew that the accusations were unfounded though. The spell may have been created by Havanist priests and priestesses and written in Elvish but anyone with a magical core could cast it. Any one of the other champions could have used it if they had learnt the tune and the words.

"Try not to move." Draco instructed gently as he helped Harry to shift himself into a more comfortably position.

"Doesn't matter, it's not that bad." Harry assured with a reassuring smile. "It was much worse when it was actually happening, no doubt thanks to Madam Pomfrey's exceptional care." He said in a slightly raised tone, noticing that the Medi-witch was walking past at that moment.

"Flattery will get you no where Mr Snape; you are not allowed to leave that bed until I'm satisfied that you'll be able to get along without too much pain." She told him sternly, without even glancing at him, as she continued past.

"I'm sure we can get your father to smuggle in some pain-killing potions." Lucius murmured to his godson quietly.

"I hope so, I hate this place." The dark haired boy muttered.

"That's because you're in here on a stupidly regular basis." Draco grunted as he made Harry rest his head on shoulder. The Gryffindor allowed his head to be re-positioned without complaint, knowing that the Veela in Draco was ordering him to "care" for his mate; fussing was really a better word for what the blonde was doing.

"I must say, the tournament has become much more challenging than the ones they had when I was a student." Lucius mused casually, his guard relaxed as it was only the three of them in the Infirmary at that moment. "I remember one year where the first task was to simply retrieve a bell from a unicorn's horn."

"Lucky them." Harry muttered.

Just then, the dark form of Severus came billowing through the doors of the Infirmary. All eyes were instantly on him or, more accurately, the golden egg he carried in his hands. The man wore an expression on his face like a thunder storm, the type which would send any average First Year running away screaming. It didn't take a genius to guess the outcome of the discussion of Harry's future in the Triwizard Tournament.

"They decided in my favour then? So to speak that is." Harry said, apparently the only one who was willing to speak first.

"Unfortunately, yes." Severus answered in a monotone as he handed his son the golden egg.

Harry sighed lightly as he accepted the egg with his good hand, the one that wasn't currently in a sling. "Oh well, we could only hope I suppose. Did anyone mention what my score is then?"

"You were scored a forty, tying you with Viktor Krum." The Potions Master answered as he remained standing beside the bed.

"Not too bad then." The Gryffindor said with weak enthusiasm before turning his attention onto the golden egg now resting in his lap. "I wonder what I'm supposed to do with this?"

"Looks like you can open it." Draco noted, looking down at the egg as well. "See, this bit here," he pointed to the top, the area he was talking about. "You can probably twist it around so it's not holding the sides together."

"Oh, right." Harry hummed in realisation. "Do you think I should open it now?"

"I see no reason why not." Lucius spoke up, clearly interested in what the egg would reveal.

Harry nodded in agreement before adjusting the position of the egg so that it was nestled in between the crook of his legs to keep it steady. Then, with his good hand, he used his fingers to twist the top to allow the golden shell of the egg to split open. The effect was instantaneous. A glowing golden centre was revealed as a loud, ear-piercing shriek filled the Infirmary. Harry and Draco flinched away from the sound, bringing their hands up to cover their ears while the two elder Slytherins merely grimaced lightly.

After a second or two, Harry realised he'd have to close the egg to stop the noise. He brought his hands down from his ears and fumbled for the egg. It was painful to use his injured arm but he found he had no choice in order to hold the shell of the egg together and move the top back into place. Eventually, he managed to get it shut, stopping the noise and cutting off the glow. When the silence came, they all relaxed with no small sense of relief.

"Well, that was unpleasant." Lucius noted, rather needlessly.

"It's not a very good clue, is it?" Harry mused, lifting the egg and looking at the golden shell, in search of anything he may have missed.

"There's obviously more to it." Severus replied in his teaching-tone.

"We've got plenty of time to figure it out." Draco reassured Harry, giving his shoulders a small squeeze. "There're a couple of months until the Second Task."

Harry gave a small hum of agreement, despite the fact he didn't really agree. Worrying about the egg and trying to figure it out was going to cause him some sleepless nights, he just knew it.

25th November 1994: Morning

The moment Harry saw the faces of Hermione, Fred and George that morning at the breakfast table, a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of each of them, he knew that he wasn't going to like what had been written. The article about yesterday's First Task was obviously going to be published the next day and Harry had dreaded it, especially when he considered the fact that a picture of him and Hermione hugging had been taken and Skeeter had actually gushed about "forbidden love". The controversy of the last article she had published about Harry and his relatives had luckily remained slight, no doubt thanks to the lack of public reaction from the family and some behind the scenes work by Lucius' lawyers which most probably took place.

"It's not that bad, is it?" He asked his friends nervously when he reached the table.

"She's made out that you're cheating on Draco with Hermione." Fred revealed sympathetically as Harry slid the girl's copy of the Prophet over to himself.

Quickly, Harry's eyes scanned the article. He immediately noticed the picture of he and Hermione hugging and then releasing each other in a way that did make them look awfully guilty and it didn't take him much longer to locate the phrase, "the forbidden love between Haryon Snape and Miss Hermione Granger has been a secret kept from Mr Snape's Luna Veela mate Draco Malfoy for several months now and...".

"She can't possibly get away with this!" Harry gasped in horror. "It's a pack of lies! It's based on a picture of a hug which was completely innocent! I don't...She can't...Oh my Goddess, what is Draco going to say? What's he going to do? We cannot let him see this!" He said quickly.

"Aren't you over-reacting a bit Harry? I mean, you said it yourself, it was a purely innocent hug and I'm sure Draco will listen to reason and believe you if we explain." Hermione reassured him gently but he began to shake his head repeatedly halfway through the sentence.

"No. No, no, no Hermione, you don't get it! There's less than a week until the full moon and his instincts are already out and about because of yesterday. We have to keep this away from him." He insisted as he took her copy of the paper away with his good hand.

"But Harry, practically everyone in the school had a copy of this, he'll see it eventually." Hermione pointed out reasonably.

"Then I'll just get everyone to destroy their copies." Harry replied quickly as he yanked the copy Fred and George were reading.

"You can't possibly manage that Harry." She argued.

"I have to try!" The older boy insisted somewhat frantically as he struggled to free his wand from inside his robes.

"Have to try what?"

Harry swallowed a squeak of surprise as he whipped around to come face to face with Draco. It took a second for him to remember he was trying to hide the Daily Prophet from him yet was holding four copies in plain view, so when that did finally catch up to him, he quickly brought them behind his back in order to hide them from the Slytherin's view. Predictably, it was too late though and the presence of the newspapers hadn't passed the Slytherin by.

"Quite a few copies of the Daily Prophet you have there Harry." Draco noted, sounding amused.

"Oh yeah, well, you know..." Harry struggled.

"The article about yesterday's Task must really be something."

There was something in the blonde's tone which suggested there was more to that comment than what was obvious. Harry looked at his mate carefully for a few moments before realisation slowly began to seep into his consciousness. "You've already read it."

"Bethany was only too glad to bring it to me." Draco confirmed. "It's not true, is it?"

"No! No, of course not!" Harry assured quickly.

The blonde's lips quirked upwards slightly in a very small smirk. "Didn't think it was and it was very satisfying to tell Zabini so." Then, he leaned forward and pecked a kiss to Harry's cheek. "Good morning by the way." He smiled before he sat down at the table, next to Hermione. For several seconds, the four Gryffindors just stared at the Veela in complete disbelief. After a few moments of the silent staring, Draco lifted his gaze to them and quirked his eyebrow. "Yes?"

"You're not angry?" Harry asked unsurely.

"Do I look angry?" The blonde replied with a small grin.

"Well, no, it's just..." Harry trailed off awkwardly. "You know, the full moon's on the way..."

"Harry, dearest, I know you wouldn't do anything behind my back." Draco said completely sincerely, with a soft smile, as he brought his hand up to caress the dark haired boy's cheek.

Harry blinked at the Veela in slight surprise, impressed with the Slytherin's attitude and how well he was taking all of this, especially after what had happened with the totally innocent situation he had been in with Cedric when he had told the Hufflepuff about the dragons. Perhaps Draco had learnt his lesson from that time.

With a smile of thanks, Harry rewarded Draco's understanding by leaning forward and pressing a slightly lingering kiss on the Veela's lips. When they separated, the dark haired boy cuddled up to his mate, leaning his head on the blonde's shoulder. Draco brought an arm around the smaller boy's waist and pressed a light kiss to the top of the head of dark hair before straightening up again. Then, safe in the knowledge that Harry wasn't looking at him, he shot a hard glare to the Gryffindor girl who he was sitting next to. Instantly, Hermione understood what was going on; the Veela wasn't as unaffected by the article as he was making out to be. She felt she wouldn't be far off in predicting that her and Harry wouldn't be allowed to be on their own for quite some time.

"Aww, aren't you two just so cute?" Violet's voice cooed from their side and the group of five all turned to see the youngest Potter coming to a stop beside her eldest brother.

"Morning Violet." Harry greeted her with a smile, not moving from his position against Draco.

She smiled back at him in reply before going onto a new topic. "How are you feeling this morning? All stiff and achy?"

"Um, no, not too bad really." He assured her. 'My back aches a bit and my arm twinges if I try and move it but otherwise I'm just fine."

"That's good to hear. It was so hard to watch you out there Harry, you wouldn't believe it. I can only imagine what it was like for you though Draco; it must've been so much worse than what I felt." The younger girl sympathised with the Slytherin.

"I managed." Draco answered in a monotone. He still wasn't keen on Harry's little sister but he tolerated her for the sake of his mate.

Violet seemed completely unphased by the Veela's attitude towards her though and turned her attention back to address her brother. "Anyways, I just came over to check that the article in the Daily Prophet is complete rubbish."

"Yeah, it is, not a single bit of truth in it." Harry confirmed.

"Knew it." The younger girl grinned triumphantly before turning so she was looking back down the length of the Gryffindor table. "We were right guys; he's innocent!" Five girls, all wearing bright pink badges which singled them out as being part of the Official Haryon Snape Support Club, cheered at that, clapping their hands and drawing a lot of attention to themselves.

Harry could only blink at the sight; pre-teen girls were weird.

10th December 1994: Morning

For once, Harry was enjoying a nice, calm breakfast with his friends. As usual he was sandwiched in between Draco and Hermione, (the Luna Veela having once again learnt to trust the younger girl) and sitting across from Fred and George. However, today, the usual group of four had been joined by Ron and Potter as well. Harry wasn't sure why, the two boys just sat with them and as long as Potter didn't try and start an argument, he was happy to have their company. So, Ron was sitting in front of Hermione, next to Fred, and Potter was sitting next to him, in front of an empty seat.

They all took part in an easy, light conversation about nothing in particular, though Draco only occasionally took part as he was playing with the new ability which he had discovered at some point over the night. Apparently, his Luna Veela heritage had strangely gifted him with the talent of being able to feeze any liquid and produce ice from nothing and so now he was discreetly obsessed with practising with it, freezing and then melting every liquid he could get his hands on and icing goblets before melting that ice once again. Harry thought it was actually rather endearing, like watching a small child playing with a new toy.

However, Draco's experimenting and the conversation they had been having abruptly ended when Ron had received a large parcel. They had all stopped to watch in curiosity as the Weasley opened the parcel, untying the string and pulling away the brown paper. Then, he pulled off the lid of the box and lifted out what was inside for himself and everyone else to see.

"That's funny; Mum sent me a dress." Ron said with a wrinkling of his nose, missing the fact that Hermione, Fred, George, Potter, Harry and Draco all immediately choked on whatever it was they were eating as they tried not to laugh. "Must've meant to send it to Ginny." He mused as he got up from his seat and moved a bit to the right so he could talk to his sister. "Gin, Mum sent this for you."

"I don't think so. Mum never said anything about sending me something and even if she had, I wouldn't wear that, it's ghastly." Ginny replied, scrunching her own nose up in much the same way as Ron had.

Finally, Harry couldn't take it anymore. His control broke and a chuckle worked its way past his lips, catching the attention of the youngest male Weasley. "Ron, it's not a dress." He revealed, getting his laughter back in check.

"And it's not for Ginny." Hermione giggled.

"They're dress robes Weasley, male dress robes, for you." Draco revealed with a smirk, earning the surrounding area of Gryffindors to burst out laughing. "And not very tasteful ones at that."

"Dress robes?" Ron asked, sounding horrified. "What do I need dress robes for?"

"For the Yule Ball of course." Harry answered.

"The what?" Potter questioned.

"It's a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament." Hermione explained instead of Harry. "On the twenty-fifth of December, a ball is held for all the students."

"And the Triwizard Champions get to open it, dancing in front of everyone." Draco added, smirking towards his mate.

"Yes, thank you for that Draco." Harry muttered.

"At least you've already got a date mate." George pointed out, trying to console his friend in some small way.

"Yeah, the rest of us have to go through the trials and tribulations of asking someone to go with us." Fred sighed dramatically.

"We don't HAVE to, right?" Potter asked, sounding somewhat unsure of himself which was odd.

"No, I wouldn't say you have to." Harry assured a little awkwardly.

"No, you don't have to find a date Potter, you can just sit at the side and watch everyone else having a great time like the loser you are." Draco said as he picked up his goblet of pumpkin juice, taking a sip from it once he'd stopped talking. Potter glared at him angrily but said nothing, no doubt knowing that starting an argument with the Veela would only end badly for himself.

Harry glanced to Draco and shook his head a little but otherwise remained silent as well; Potter would no doubt not appreciate him sticking up for him and it was stuff like that which had begun to bother the older boy. Although he and Potter didn't have the same attitude towards each other as they had before their biological relationship became widely known, they were hardly friends. They still called each other by their last names and avoided each other whenever possible and Harry was sick of it. He was sick of how awkward it made things, he was sick of the stress it caused, he was sick of the fact that he wanted a relationship with his little brother but the stupid prat was too stubborn to accept his friendship. Harry planned on changing that though. He wasn't sure when or how he'd do it, but he was going to...Eventually.


	49. CHapter 49

Chapter 49

18th December 1994: Midday

Only half paying attention to where he was going, Harry walked across the grounds of Hogwarts on his way to the Great Hall for lunch. His eyes were fixed on his prayer/spell/guide book, the one he had received on his eleventh birthday from Sephiran, searching for anything that might be able to help him figure out his clue that he had got from the First Task. He still had no idea what he was supposed to do with the golden egg and neither did Draco, Lucius, Hermione or Fred and George. Severus probably knew but he wasn't allowed to talk about it as it would give Harry an unfair advantage. The dark haired teenager was planning on asking his High Priest about it that afternoon during their last lesson before the new year and had thought he should go in with some ideas. However, ideas were elusive as he failed to find anything of worth in his book.

Walking through a corridor, Harry passed by a trio of Durmstrang students who watched him pass them and stopped before having a quick, whispered discussion. Moments later, they were quickly following on behind the Gryffindor, one taking the lead of the others. When they were close enough again, the one leading spoke: "Haryon Snape?"

Harry stopped and turned around, looking up from his book in order to pay attention to the three boys. "Yes?"

The young teenager, who although was only a little shorter than Harry certainly looked younger, bowed then as he spoke in his heavy accent. "I humbly request permission to accompany your youngest sibling to the Ball."

It took a few seconds for everything to properly register in Harry's mind and when it did, his eyes widened in slight surprise. "Oh, you mean Violet." He said dumbly, rather startled by the question; it certainly wasn't something he had been expecting in any way. "I, uh, I suppose so, as long as she wants to go with you that is."

"Thank you very much." The boy thanked with another bow, being joined by his two friends this time, before the three straightened up and walked away.

Harry watched them go slightly bemused before he noticed Draco heading his way out of the corner of his eye. He turned to greet his mate and immediately noted that the Veela looked annoyed and experience told him the probable reason why. Proving his suspicions, the blonde greeted him by saying: "What did Durmstrang want?"

"He was asking me if it was all right to tale Violet to the Ball." Harry replied calmly, knowing by now that Draco's irrational suspicion and jealousy was something he couldn't help. "I have to admit it is rather surprising he bothered; shouldn't think many people would but the Durmstrang students to seem to be awfully polite."

"Why didn't he ask Potter, that's what I want to know." Draco grunted as he wrapped an arm around the dark haired boy's waist.

"Because I told him to ask Harry." Violet's voice said behind them and the two teenagers turned their heads to look over their shoulders. Sure enough, Harry's younger sister was walking up to them hurriedly. "So what did you say to him? You said it was okay, right?"

"I said it was as long as you wanted to." Harry answered. Violet gave a squeal of delight and almost went to throw herself into her brother's arms. However, with the warning growl from Draco, she stopped and composed herself. Harry grinned at her and gave Draco a small squeeze around the waist. "So why did you tell him to ask me?"

"Because you're my oldest brother and you always ask the eldest one. I thought the Malfoys helped raise you?" She pointed out as though that answer should've been obvious to people of Pureblood heritage.

"I'm aware of the tradition Violet, it's just that I haven't really been your brother for even a year yet."

"So?" The younger girl shrugged. "Doesn't change the fact you are my eldest brother and in the few months that I've known, you've been way nicer to me than John ever has and he's always been my brother." Just then, a call came from their side and they all turned to see Violet's friends/Harry's fan club waving over to them."Oh, I gotta get going. Thanks again Harry, I'll see you later in the common room. Bye!" She said quickly as she backed up before turning and dashing over to her friends.

"You can tell she's someone's little sister; she's too annoying to be an eldest or middle child." Draco muttered.

"Yes, and she's not spoiled enough to be an only child." Harry teased knowingly.

"You're an only child too." Draco pointed out.

"I know, but the difference is I never let it go to my head." The dark haired boy grinned before pecking a kiss on the Luna Veela's cheek. "C'mon, let's get some lunch."

18th December 1994: Afternoon

With his nose once again stuck in his prayer book, Harry wandered towards the Gryffindor Tower to spend some time in the common room or his dorm room before the time for supper came. He'd just left his lesson with High Priest Sephiran and had come back frustrated in relation to his quest for a method of discovering the use for his golden egg. The Elvish man had been unable to recommend anything nor even think of any theories. They had agreed that Harry should bring the egg along with him to his next lesson in the new year and so, for now, Harry had to content himself with that. The reason for his current reading was purely boredom; it was something to do as he walked.

However, when Harry turned a corner, he noticed the figure of Cedric Diggory over the top of his book. It had been a while since he had properly spoken with the young man so he lowered his book. "Hey Cedric." He greeted the Hufflepuff as they drew closer together.

"Hi Harry." Cedric replied with a smile, having apparently already seen the Gryffindor heading towards him. "All alone?"

"Yeah, I just got back from a lesson with my High Priest."

"Good lesson?"

"It was more of a brain-storm of what that stupid egg could mean and no, it wasn't very productive.." Harry sighed.

"Same thing's happening with me; I don't understand what we're supposed to do with the bloody thing." Cedric agreed. "Anyway, are you looking forward to the Yule Ball."

An abrupt change of subject but Harry went with it anyway shrugging lightly. "Balls and dances aren't really my sort of thing. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about finding someone to go with."

"So you are going with Malfoy then." The Hufflepuff assumed and there was something about his tone, it had a sort of regretful quality to it.

"Yeah, there was never really any doubt in that I don't think." The dark haired boy mused. "Have you asked anyone yet?"

"Yeah, I'm going with Cho." He answered, perking up in a slightly forced manner.

"Ah, your girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"I think I remember Hermione mentioning something about that a few months ago when all of this Tournament mess started." Harry gave a small sigh then before offering a smile. "Anyways, I'd better be off again. I'll see you around, okay?"

"Yeah, see you later Harry." Cedric said with a smile of his own before they each started forward again, both going in their own directions.

As Harry left the scene of the conversation, he half expected Draco to come storming up to him demanding why he was talking to the Hufflepuff as the blonde seemed to have a habit of. No irate Veela appeared though and Harry was secure in the knowledge that that had been one meeting between him and his fellow Triwizard champion which wouldn't be twisted into something it wasn't. He was just thankful that he had leaned great patience from his father and compassion and sympathy from High Priest Sephiran or else things would be a lot harder between him and Draco.

The rest of Harry's journey to the Gryffindor Tower went by without further interruption and before too long he had provided the password to the Fat Lady and had stepped through the portrait hole into the common room. As always when someone entered the common room, mostly everyone looked up from what they were doing to see who it was. Upon seeing it was Harry, a few people greeted him verbally while the majority just gave him smiles before turning back to what they had previously been doing. He returned the greetings to everyone who had given him one as he made his way over to Hermione who was sitting at a small table at the side of the room doing an assignment by the look of it.

"Alright Hermione." He smiled as he pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her.

"Hello Harry." She replied, not looking up from her parchment. "How was your lesson?"

"A complete waste of time." He sighed, leaning back in his chair tiredly. "We found out nothing new and we didn't come up with anything we could work on."

"Well, you still have a couple of months until you really have to know so it's nothing too urgent at the moment." Hermione reassured as she finished off writing a sentence and then looked up to him finally.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Harry sighed again before he leaned forward and settled his elbows on the edge of the table, propping his head up in his palms. "So have you just been in here all afternoon?"

For some odd reason, that question made Hermione blush lightly and she averted her gaze. "No, I, uh, went to the library for a little while and, uh..."

"...Yeah?" He prompted her.

"Someone asked me to the Ball...And I said yes." She admittedly shyly though a dazzling smile had lit up her face.

"Oh Hermione, that's wicked!" Harry smiled to her, pleased. "So, who is it?"

"I'd, uh, rather not say."

"Oh c'mon, why not? Please? For me?" The younger girl just blushed a bit more and shook her head. "Okay, I'll guess. If I guess it, will you tell me?"

"Yes, all right." Hermione agreed sounding playfully exasperated.

"Right, okay. First thing's first then, do I know him?"

"I thought you were going to guess?"

"I am, but I need some clues first. So c'mon, tell me, do I know him?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"Not particularly."

"Okay...Is he a older than you?" A nod. "Is he in Gryffindor?" The girl shook her head. "Ravenclaw?" Another shake of her head. "Hufflepuff?" Another shake. "Surely not Slytherin?" Harry gasped, unable to quite believe it.

"No, not Slytherin." Hermione assured him with a light smile. "You know, you sounded quite aghast at the thought of me and a Slytherin yet you're well on the way to getting bonded to one."

"That's a completely different situation." He said quickly before moving on, keeping his train of through. "If he's none of the Houses then that must mean he's from Durmstrang." He guessed, a hint of realisation entering his tone. The younger girl just gave a small grin. "So he's from Durmstrang, he's older than you and I sort of know him..." His eyes widened and he stared at Hermione in disbelief. "Nooooo..." He breathed, shaking his head a little. "Krum?" He whispered and at the blush which covered Hermione's cheeks, he knew he was right. "It is, isn't it? I'm right! Merlin, Hermione, Viktor Krum! How on Earth did that come around?"

Before Hermione could answer, the portrait hole opened and Ginny came in supporting a rather pale and traumatised looking Ron. "Ron? Are you okay?" Hermione asked, concerned, as she got up to go over to where Ginny was directing her older brother into an armchair, Harry following on behind.

"He just asked Fleur Delacour to the Ball." Ginny supplied.

"You're joking!" Harry gasped in amused horror; oh, Fred and George were going to be so sorry they missed out on this. "What did she say?"

"No of course!" Hermione answered as though it was obvious. However, when Ron shook his head with an expression that made him look a bit like he was going to be sick, she assumed differently. "She said yes?" She gasped, her voice wobbling with either shock or happiness for her friend.

"Don't be stupid." He muttered grimly.

"What on Earth possessed you to do something like that?" Harry asked sympathetically.

"I saw her in the corridor ahead of me, walking; you know how much I love it when they walk." Ron began to explain weakly. "Then, when she passed me, it just sort of...Slipped out."

"Actually, he more sort of screamed it at her; was rather frightening." Ginny supplied.

"It was awful. I'm telling you, I'm not cut out for this Harry." He said with a shake of his head, still looking rather traumatised.

After that, Ron continued to mutter to himself but Harry's attention was turned away by the sight of the portrait hole opening, allowing Potter entrance into the common room. The boy didn't look happy and Harry felt a small swell of concern for his younger brother. He got to his feet and slowly headed over to the younger Gryffindor who was making a bee-line straight towards the stairs leading up to the dorm rooms. "Potter?"

"Not now Snape." Potter replied instantly and, was it Harry's imagination, or did he sound on the verge of tears?

Knowing it was going to be no good, Harry stopped in his tracks and watched the younger teenager reach the stairs and run up them quickly, all the time keeping his head bowed. As one part of his mind wondered what had happened to upset the usually self-assured, confident Potter, another part was thinking that the gap between them had to be bridged quickly; it hurt to see his younger brother distressed and knowing that he couldn't do anything to help.

25th December 1994: Morning

It was freezing cold and it was snowing which, common sense told Him, meant He was outside. And, opening His eyes and looking around, it became clear that, indeed, he was outside. It was night time, they sky black and cloudy, the trees around him nothing but black silhouettes and the snow almost glowing in the darkness.

Suddenly, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, there was a horrible bang, a lot like heavy wood colliding with something as equally solid and heavy at a great speed. He stood from where He was kneeling and looked around slightly frantically to see a couple of dozen metres away from Him was a massive, dark, imposing building.

For long moments after that, nothing more happened but the nervous atmosphere didn't relax. The stress getting to Him a little too much, He lowered His head and closed His eyes while taking in a deep breath to calm Himself. Around him it was silent again and the snow continued to fall around him, frequently landing onto Him and chilling His skin. After a few moments, He opened His eyes again without raising his head and gasped at the sight of his hands; they were stained with thick trickles of some black and viscous substance.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

As his sleep melted away, Harry opened in eyes quickly, the emotions of what he had just seen still affecting him. His heart was pounding and he was on edge, ready to react to anything in an instant. However, when he saw that he was in his dorm room, in his bed, and that the form of George snoring away was ahead of him, he began to relax, realising that what had felt so real was just an image, doubtful that it was just a dream though.

What he had just seen had basically built on the vision he'd had last Christmas, when he had been lighting the candle. Exactly one year had passed; was that significant in anyway? Although he couldn't answer that, he could wonder, quite satisfyingly, if whether these dreams might be a similar situation to the ones he'd had in his Fourth Year about, what he had only found out right at the last minute, the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. That gave him the advantage of experience, he knew what to expect now and he had a better idea to pay extra attention to those dreams as they were obviously warning him of something significant. However, with such little information revealed at that point, there was little point in pondering over it.

So, filing the vision away in his memory for that moment, Harry sat up and stretched before getting out of bed and wandering around the dorm room to gather his clothes for that day.

25th December 1994: Evening

The Yule Ball was well and truly in full swing now. The dancing had long since been opened by the four champions and their dates, (it was the first time in his life that Harry was glad that he'd had to attend dancing lessons with Draco when he had been younger) and so the floor was now open to everyone. Most of the teachers had retreated to either the sides of the Great Hall or had just disappeared altogether, like Severus though Harry imagined that was more because he kept threatening his father to drag him onto the dance floor and so they could dance together. He'd been mostly joking of course but Severus obviously wouldn't put it past him.

At that moment, Harry was alone as Draco and gone off with Fred and George, something about "distributing some Christmas cheer" which could've meant anything really. However, the teenager wasn't planning on staying alone for much longer because he had spied the sight of his younger brother and was determined to set his plan to ease their relationship from awkwardly neutral to an awkward friendship, (baby-steps after all). The boy and Ron had long since been abandoned by their dates, twin girls from their own year, and had been sitting at the side looking bored ever since. Well, that is until Violet had gone over and dragged Ron up to dance, her own date having gone to partake of the "Christmas cheer" which was being spread around by a certain Luna Veela and a certain set of twins.

So, Harry gathered his courage, put on his friendliest smile and headed over to the lone Fourth Year. "Enjoying yourself?" Harry asked, standing slightly to the side of the younger boy.

"Oh yeah." Potter muttered his reply sarcastically, staring gloomily off to the side before turning his attention to Harry and sneering lightly. "You look like a girl done up like that."

Harry couldn't help but smile in amusement at that comment as he had to admit that he had gone for a slightly femanised look, mostly for Draco who seemed to appreciate it. He wore a set of white dress robes, made from a type of material which shimmered when the light hit it just right, with emerald green trimmings around the cuffs, the collar and the hem. His hair, on the whole, had been combed out and allowed to hang loose with the exception of a few small braids of hair and emerald ribbons placed in suitably decorative possitions.

"Do you really think so?" Harry asked, still smiling, showing his younger brother that he wasn't fazed by what had been intended as an insult. "That's probably why Draco and Father both told me I look lovely. Anyway, do you fancy a dance?"

"I don't dance." Potter grunted in reply.

"It's a slow song, you don't need to even move that much. C'mon, come dance with me." Harry said with a smile, holding his hand out to his younger brother.

Potter looked to Harry's hand before glancing up at his face before giving a reluctant huff. "Fine, but I get to lead."

"Sounds good to me, I've only ever been taught to follow." The older boy grinned as Potter took his hand and he pulled him up onto his feet playfully. The younger Gryffindor stumbled forward, pulled off balance, and ended up colliding with Harry's chest. As though he was burnt, he quickly pulled away so that there was some air in between them. Harry swallowed a chuckle and instead allowed himself to be slowly led in the dance. "I noticed that your date wandered off with someone else."

Potter shrugged nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter, I didn't really want to go with her anyway."

"Anyone you did want to go with?" Harry asked easily.

"Cho Chang." The younger boy muttered glumly.

"Ah." Suddenly, that afternoon a week ago made sense.

"Yeah, exactly. Hey, do you think that you can arrange for Diggory to get horribly facially mutilated in the next task? Maybe then I'd stand a chance with Cho." Harry laughed lightly at that but said nothing in reply. For the next few minutes they danced without words, just listening to the music and swaying gently to it. Then, finally, Potter broke their quiet. "Why did you ask me to dance?"

"Because you looked like you needed some company and I wanted to the be the one to give you that company." Harry paused then, gathering the strength to deal with the outburst which could quite likely occur in the next few moments. "Because you're my younger brother and I...I want to spend time with you." Potter's eyes quickly met with Harry's but the younger boy didn't start yelling or showing off or anything as equally unproductive so Harry felt it was safe to continue. "I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get tired with having to call my only brother by his last name. I'm not saying we have to suddenly start loving each other or spending more time with each other than we already do, I just think we're past the stage where the distance between us means we have to call each other by our last names."

"Would make things easier I suppose; would make clearly insulting Snape easier anyway." Potter grunted, obviously reluctant to admit that he agreed with what Harry was saying and so the older boy could easily ignore the small dig at his father.

"Good; John it is then." Harry declared, grinning.

John said nothing and bowed his head slightly, but not before Harry caught sight of the slight, pleased smile which had appeared on the boy's face. His own grin grew a little at that and he straightened up as they continued to dance.

25th December 1994: Night

Merlin, the Great Hall was so horribly stifling at that moment. What with all the people gathered in the enclosed space and the fact that said people were participating in, the air was hot and heavy and it was making Harry feel a little woozy. He'd decided that he needed a little time outside, even just a second or two in order to rid his lungs of the humid air they were currently filled with, but he had put that off in order to find Draco and tell the Veela where he was going. However, the Gryffindor was having no luck in locating the Slytherin. So, in the end, unable to bear it any longer, Harry headed outside anyway.

The moment the night air hit him, he was instantly chilled, the winter cold doing wonders for his over-heated skin. He shivered a little but it was mostly in pleasure at the sensation, relieved as he instantly perked up and the previous faintness became a mere memory. Harry passed several couples enjoying some alone time as he continued on and he ignored them as much as he could, keeping his eyes off of them as much as possible. It boggled his mind how people could do that sort of thing in front of everyone. The thought of giving Draco any more than a peck on the lips in public made Harry cringe; sharing affection in front of others was one thing, shoving your tongue down the other's throat was something completely different.

In the process of once again avoiding looking at an involved couple, Harry suddenly spotted Severus ahead, stalking through the area where the Beaxbatons carriages were being kept. The teenager was just about to head over there to spend some time with the man when another figure made him freeze; Igor Karkaroff. Harry didn't care what anyone said, that man wasn't reformed in the least, he was still a complete piece of slime and if the expression of the Potion Master face was anything to go by, he held much the same opinion about the foreign man. They were obviously talking about something though, (Karkaroff was talking anyway) and Harry wasn't about to just walk away. Instead, he quickly dipped behind a wall. He pressed himself against it as closely as possible and cautiously peered through the glassless window next to him.

"It's happening again, like before. Soon, neither you nor anyone else will be able to deny it." Karkaroff insisted as Severus peered inside the dark window of one of the carriages.

"I have told you before Igor, I see no further reason to discuss it." The Potions Master replied in a monotone before looking right in Harry's direction. For a few, heart stopping moments, the teenager was sure that he had been spotted, especially when his father came striding right towards him. However, his fears were put to rest when the man turned right sharply, standing right in front of the door of another carriage. "Alohomora." He cast and the door swung open to reveal a boy and a girl in a rather dishevelled state. "Ten points from Gryffindor Jordon, and the same goes for Hufflepuff Avalon." As that was said, the two teenager bolted for it, joining hands when they were several paces away.

The man dressed in black turned to walk away then but had to stop abruptly when the man in white blocked his path. "It's a sign Severus, you know it is!"

"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." Severus replied as he moved around Karkaroff and headed towards the carriage opposite him. As he moved, Harry carefully altered his position so that he continued to stay out of sight.

"Really? Then perhaps you wouldn't mind rolling up your left sleeve?" Karkaroff asked as he reached for Severus' left arm. Harry watched with growing concern as his father whipped his arm away quickly as though the other man was going to hurt him rather than just roll up his sleeve. "You don't fool me Severus. You are scared; admit it."

"I have nothing to be scared of Igor; can you say the same?" The black-haired man asked pointedly.

The foreign man stared steadily at Severus for a few moments before a malicious sneer crossed his face. "You can't hide behind your son forever."

Severus face darkened at that and Harry cringed on Karkaroff behalf; if there was one thing his father reacted badly to, it was being accused of hiding. However, what the man said next went against Harry's assumption and, so, surprised him slightly. "My son plays no part in this and you would be wise to not think of him."

Silence was the only reply the professor got from Karkaroff and after a few moments, the man in white turned and strode away hurriedly. A second later, Severus had turned and hurried away as well. Harry watched his father go for as long as possible, right up until the man left his sight. When that happened, he relaxed his gaze and simply looked ahead of himself.

Karkaroff had been talking about their Dark Marks, he had to have been, especially as it was Severus' left arm he went for and Harry knew that was the arm Death Eaters had their Mark on; he'd seen his father's and godfather's often enough after all. But why? Were the Dark Marks activating again? And if they were, was that a sign that Voldemort was going through the motions of returning? What did that mean for Lucius and Severus? The Dark Marks were used for calling the Death Eaters to meetings but Harry knew they could also be used to send just pain. If Voldemort came back, would his family be completely safe?

Due to his train of thought being of a rather dangerous nature, when arms suddenly came around Harry's waist from behind, the dark haired boy gave a startled gasp and tensed for a moment before he felt a soft pair of lips on his neck. "A little jumpy, aren't we?" The familiar voice of Draco murmured against him.

"You just surprised me a bit." Harry assured, trying to will his heart beat to calm down.

A small hum of acknowledgment came from Draco at that as he pressed a few more kisses against the slightly smaller boy's neck, trailing them up to his ear. "Feeling a little naughty tonight my dear, or is it pure coincidence that you're wandering where the carriages are?"

"Oi, don't go getting any ideas, Father's patrolling this area; he's already been busy busting couples and deducting House points." Harry revealed.

"Ah, talking to my future father-in-law, how lovely." Draco murmured in Harry's ear before he began to nibble on it lightly.

A slightly confused frown creased Harry's forehead for a second before the reason for his mate's strange behaviour occurred to him. "Have you been drinking?" It would be no surprise if he had, as that was no doubt what the whole "Christmas cheer" thing had been about.

"Maybe a little bit." The blonde grinned mischievously as he gave the dark haired boy's waist a good squeeze. "Hmm, why are you so cuddly love?"

"Must be a natural gift." The Gryffindor smiled, greatly amused by the antics of tipsy-Draco. "C'mon you, let's get you back to the dungeons and into bed." He insisted, lacing his fingers through one of Draco's hands and giving him a small pull forward as he tried to step out of the embrace.

"Ooo, bed, sounds good to me." The Luna Veela leered, not allowing Harry to break the arm lock he had around the smaller boy's waist but also insisting that they keep their hands together now that they were joined. Slowly, he very lightly licked a trail up the length of the dark haired boy's neck with the tip of his tongue, making the recipient shiver in delight. Harry refused to do anything with an intoxicated Veela though; things could too easily get out of hand.

"No Draco, you get to go to bed in your dorm and then I get to go to bed in my dorm." Harry explained, deciding to humour the Slytherin and moving them forward still locked in the backwards hug and their hands entwined in front of his abdomen.

"But you're so cuddly sweetheart!" Draco protested and also made it clear that when he was tipsy he used a lot of endearments.

"Yes, you said that before." The dark haired boy said gently as he continued to lead the slightly drunk boy back into the school, intending to take him back to his dorm room without anyone seeing them. After all, any professor who found them would completely freak out if they discovered the blonde was drunk.

26th December 1994: Early Morning

He was outside, yet He was warm. The air around Him was a lovely temperature despite it being the middle of the night. Or was it? The sky was very over-cast despite the warm weather so maybe it was day but just very gloomy. It looked as though a storm might be coming...

Looking around Himself, it didn't take long to realise where He was and He felt an definite chill run through him at the sight. A graveyard. How did He get in a graveyard? Why was He in a graveyard? What could there possibly be to see here, of all places? There was no one around either which meant there was no one to see either. Still, He must have been there for a reason and so He started forward, looking around all the while, keeping His eyes open for anything.

When He stopped again, He was standing in front of a large tomb stone. Well, it was actually more of a memorial statue He imagined, a not-very-nice one. Perhaps it was the gloom but it looked awfully creepy. Plus, the fact it was a grim-reaper rather than something nice like an angel or something helped the scary factor. There was something about the statue though. He felt as though there was something He was supposed to be seeing, something important, something He'd not yet spotted. It was essential that He saw it and so He looked all over the statue, determined to find whatever it was the first time because He just knew that if He didn't find it now, He'd come back to this place in the future and He did not want that because...Well, it was a creepy place.

All over the statue He looked it seemed, paying extra attention to the obscure areas because that's where something important was most likely to be. He was just about to give up with a frustrated groan when He noticed something in the corner of His eye. He turned to have a proper look but He didn't quite make it in time to look before a green light completely blocked his vision and then everything turned black.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry woke with a cry, sitting bolt upright in his bed, his eyes wide with fright. That green light, he remembered it only too well. With a shudder, he brought his knees up to his chest and leaned forward so his forehead was resting on his knees, his loosened hair falling around his face enough to shield it from sight. No sooner had he done that than the sound of footsteps came just outside of his drawn curtains before they were yanked open to reveal both Fred and George, still in their dress robes.

"Are you all right?" Fred asked quickly, perching on the edge of the bed and putting his arm around his shoulder for comfort.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just had a dream is all." Harry answered, lifting his head and taking in a deep breath to get some oxygen into his lungs.

"An actual dream or a vision dream?" George inquired as he sat next to Fred and placed a supportive hand on Harry'd right knee.

"I'm not sure. It think it was just a nightmare because...Well, I was in a graveyard and someone cast the Killing curse at me." He explained. Both the twins were totally silent at that and Harry felt the need to get off of the subject; it wouldn't do to dwell on it for too long. "I'm sure it was just a nightmare and I'm fine now, you can both go to bed, I'll be all right."

"You sure?" Fred asked carefully.

"We can stay up for a bit with you if you want." George offered.

"No, really, it's all right, I feel just fine now, thanks." Harry assured them, giving them both a bright smile which was slightly forced.

The twins looked at him carefully for a few moments before Fred reluctantly began to draw his arm away from Harry's shoulders. "Okay, if you're sure."

"Wake us if you need us." George ordered as he gave Harry's knee a few pats before standing.

"Will do." The dark haired boy lied; he had no intention of waking them even if he did need them. "Good night guys."

"Night Harry." Fred wished back as he took hold of one of the curtains.

"Things will seem better in the morning." George promised as he took the other curtain and, together, the Weasley twins pulled them shut for Harry again.

Alone in a cocoon of darkness once more, Harry gave a sigh and fell onto his back. All he could really do was hope that what he had just seen was nothing but a bad dream, because if it wasn't, he may have just had a vision of his own death.

5th January 1995: Morning

It was the last Hogsmeade weekend of the Christmas holidays and Harry was out and about in the company of Draco, (of course) Fred and George. The other younger Gryffindors that were usually in their company had been invited to come with them as well but had all declined. Hermione was out spending time with Krum and, as far as Harry was aware of, Ron and John were off amusing themselves somewhere in the village as well. So it was just the group of Sixth Years, enjoying the last day off for at least five more days.

"I think we should open our second shop here." George mused, partly talking to his twin but also to Harry and Draco who were walking behind them as well.

"Yeah, this would be a good place for a second shop." Fred agreed.

"What about Zonko's?" Harry pointed out.

"Oh yeah, customer loyalty might make us fail before we even start." George sighed.

"Have you ever though about buying out Zonko's?" Draco suggested casually.

"No way we'd ever be able to afford to do something like that." Fred grunted.

"Oh, I don't know, depends how you go about it. Once you've made a name for yourself and have got a half a dozen shops, you could go into a sort-of partnership with Zonko's, maybe do some joint projects with them. Then, eventually, you buy them out and thus eliminate them as competition." The blonde planned.

"Wouldn't that take a while?" George pointed out.

"Rome wasn't built in a day." Harry replied just as the Three Broomsticks started to come into view ahead of them. "And neither was Zonko's no doubt."

"Hmm, perhaps a third or fourth shop then." Fred wondered just as, ahead at the Three Broomsticks, a familiar figure came walking out onto the damp street outside. "Oh no, here comes trouble." The ginger haired boy muttered upon seeing Rita Skeeter appear.

"What is she doing here?" George groaned.

For months the Daily Prophet had been full of false/exaggerated stories about Harry and Hermione especially, written by the female reporter. It had got to such an extent that none of them even bothered to read the paper anymore. Mostly, they just ignored it to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, Draco's Veela nature getting in the way, he wasn't as good as ignoring the lies as everyone else was.

"I'm gonna kill her." Draco said completely seriously which prompted Harry into tightening his hold on the Luna Veela's arm.

"Oh no you don't, you're not going anywhere near her." The dark haired boy insisted sternly. "We're gonna turn back and take the long way 'round to Honey Dukes. We are not going to make a scene and give her ammunition."

"I don't see why we should when she's the one in the wrong." Fred grunted before bringing his hands up to mouth and, before Harry could stop him, yelled out: "Oi, Skeeter! We suggest you stop making stuff up about our best friend..." He called over to the woman, drawing the attention of several people around them and making Harry cringe in embarrassment.

"...Or you might find that some more truthful stuff about you comes out of the closet." George finished his twin's sentence. That seemed to un-nerve the woman slightly as she gave them a somewhat nervous look before turning and hurrying away, several people around them watching her go in interest.

Harry frowned lightly as he watched her disappear around a corner before turning to look at the two Weasley's. "What is it you know about her?"

"Nothing, but the way she reacted implies there's something to know, didn't it?" Fred grinned almost evilly.

"I think we need to do a little snooping in Skeeter's past." George mused, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

"Count me in for that." Draco told them as he worked his arm free from Harry's grip in favour of holding his mate's hand instead. "I'm sure Father would have access to anything truly bad."

"Hermione will want in on it as well." Fred mused.

"Four of the five greatest minds in Hogworts; we're bound to find something." George announced confidently.

"Who's the fifth?" Harry inquired, noticing that his friend had said "four of the five".

"You of course." George grinned.

Fred turned and grinned at the dark haired boy as well. "Who else?"


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

21st February 1995: Morning

The month of January had passed at a ridiculously fast pace and February had been much the same. And now, there were a mere three days until the Second Task and Harry had not even begun to figure out what he was supposed to do with the stupid golden egg in order to find out his clue for the next task. He'd thought with Hermione, with Draco, with the twins, with Lucius, with Sephiran; he'd even gone so far as to try and work the answer out of Severus. None of it had worked though and he was getting just a little stressed about the whole thing.

Thoughts and theories of the egg occupied his thoughts the majority of the time, distracting him from his school work and to an extent and making nights restless and frustrating. He spent hours at a time trying to think of anything that he may have over-looked, anything that may be the spark that would lead to the answers to all his questions. Nothing ever came though and he was starting to lose hope of ever figuring the egg out in time.

At that precise moment, Harry was on his way from Divination to Potions, being kept company by Hermione who was on her way from Care of Magical Creatures to DADA. Still, the up-coming Second Task was the main thing on their minds. "You are trying to figure out the clue, aren't you Harry?"

"No, actually I thought I'd just turn up on the day and wing it." Harry answered cheerfully. Hermione stared at him in disbelief and he rolled his eyes at her. "I'm kidding Hermione, of course I'm trying to figure it out. I suppose Viktor's got it all worked out." He muttered.

"For your information we don't talk about that sort of thing." The younger girl said with a glare before she turned and frowned to herself lightly. "Actually, we don't really talk at all, he usually just sits and watches me study. It can get rather annoying actually."

"And how's Ron with it now?" Harry asked carefully, fully aware of the youngest male Weasley's reaction to his friend spending time with the Durmstrang student.

"I don't know really, he hasn't said anything more. I think that's for the best though." Hermione sighed. "I don't know why he was so against it unless he was just annoyed that someone asked me and he was forced to settle."

"Well, I think you're half right there; he was definitely annoyed that someone asked you." Harry said with a small grin.

Hermione gave him a suspicious look out of the corner of her eye. "What, exactly, are you implying?"

Harry gave a small chuckle as he slung his arm over the younger girl's shoulders. "One day Hermione, when you're a wise and sophisticated Sixth Year, you'll figure it out."

"Talking about yourself there are you?" Hermione laughed, bringing her own arm up to wrap around Harry's waist.

"Aww, you think I'm wise and sophisticated?" The older boy asked, knowingly twisting her words, as he pulled her a little closer in a very loose hug. However, it caught Hermione by surprise and she stumbled a little, giggling as she tried to maintain her balance.

From there, the two Gryffindors proceeded to laugh together, only stopping when the sound of someone clearing their throat came from behind them. They stopped walking and calmed their laughter before turning around to see Krum standing a couple of feet behind, looking anything but happy. Both of them immediately picked up on his slightly sour mood and so separated so that Hermione could head over to him.

"I'll see you later Harry." She assured with a quick smile before hurrying over to the young man.

Harry took a moment to watch the two of them interact. They said a few words to each other before Krum coaxed Hermione into turning so they could head back in the way she and Harry had just come. As the younger girl turned, the Durmstrang student looked over his shoulder to Harry and gave him a chilling look which completely confused the dark haired boy. He didn't acknowledge the look in any way though, simply turning and continuing on in the direction he had been going in before. However, the look he had been given remained clear in his mind.

Had he done something to offend the young man? Or was it simply a competitive thing, what with them both being champions of the Triwizard Tournament? But no, that didn't make sense because he and Krum had been in each others company before and had never had any troubles. Perhaps the Durmstrang student was just having a bad day.

"Harry!" A familiar voice called behind him and Harry gave a small cringe before glancing over his shoulder to see Cedric hurrying over to him. He bit back a groan and stopped walking again, waiting for the Hufflepuff to catch him up. He'd been trying his best to avoid his fellow Triwizard champion because, honestly, it made his life easier if he did. Moments when he was alone, without Draco, were becoming increasingly rare and since the Luna Veela seemed so convinced that Diggory wanted more than just friendship with him, the Gryffindor had taken to just keeping out of the older boy's path. It didn't appear he was going to avoid this meeting though so he simply sighed and awaited the on-coming conversation.

When Cedric reached Harry, it was obvious that he was rather out of breath which made the Gryffindor wonder if he had been running recently. He said nothing though and waited for his fellow Triwizard champion to get his breathing under control. When Diggory had stopped panting quite so badly, he managed to get out a greeting: "Hey."

"Hi." Harry returned politely, glancing around discreetly to make sure that Draco wasn't going to suddenly pop up from nowhere.

"It's, uh, been a while since we last spoke. How...How are you?" Cedric asked, seeing a little nervous.

"Oh, just brilliant." The smaller boy answered sarcastically as he brought a hand up to his face, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose, just below his glasses. "Look, Cedric, I'd love to stay and chat for a little while but I need to get to Potions and if I'm late my father..."

"I know, I won't keep you long," Cedric insisted, stepping closer as though to be in a better position to stop Harry should the younger teenager go to move away. "It's just that...I realised I never really thanked you properly for tipping me off about the dragons."

"Oh, it doesn't matter, I'm sure you would've done the same for me." Harry replied with a hurried smile, turning to walk away.

"Exactly." The Hufflepuff said, quickly reached forward and gripping Harry's arm lightly to stop him going any further. Harry looked at him when he didn't speak again and held back a frown at the way Diggory was looking around himself, as though nervous someone was going to overhear. "You know the prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor?" The older boy said finally in a low voice, leaning closer so he could be heard. Harry simply nodded at that, completely confused as to where this was going. "It's not a bad place for a bath." ...Okay... "Just take your egg and relax, the hot water will help you figure things out."

"But I'm not a prefect." Harry pointed out.

"Yes, I know, but it's important that you take a bath with your egg Harry; very important." Cedric said pointedly before he slowly released Harry's arm. Their gazes stayed together for a few moments longer before Cedric turned and walked away, back the way he originally came.

Harry watched him go, completely confused as to what had just happened. He would take the Hufflepuff's advice though. Draco would be able to get him into the prefects' bathroom easily and he was almost certain that the blonde would jump at the chance of them having a bath together.

21st February 1995: Night

"Woah, look at the size of that bath tub!" Harry gasped as he moved further into the prefects bathroom, followed by Draco who was carrying their towels and the golden egg. "I can't believe I missed out on having regular baths in here because of bloody Peter Pettigrew."

"Yes, well, just remember that I'll always be happy to sneak you in here." Draco told him as he moved past the dark haired boy and went to settle their things by the edge of the bath.

"If Cedric had wanted to come here with me, he would've offered." Harry sighed, knowing what the Luna Veela was getting at. "And if he had offered, I would have refused because you are the only person I would ever want to take a bath with."

"That's not gonna stop him from imagining stuff." The blonde muttered, folding his arms and glaring off at a corner.

"This is not "1984" Draco, and you are not the Thought Police." The dark haired boy said with a light grin but the Slytherin only looked at him with complete confusion.

"I didn't say anything about it being 1984." He pointed out with a frown.

Harry chuckle quietly at that and shook his head. "Forget I said anything; it's just a Muggle thing that Fred and George were telling me about the other day."

"No wonder it doesn't make any sense then." Draco grunted as he took off his tie and began to unbutton his school shirt. "The day a Muggle makes sense about anything is the day that Potter stops being a prat." He paused then, feeling the sensation of eyes staring at him from behind. Turning, his eyes met with Harry's for a brief second before the Gryffindor looked away quickly. With a soft smirk, Draco continued to work on his shirt with one hand while he continued to watch his mate. "Aren't you going to start getting undressed?"

"Could you, uh, turn around?" Harry asked shyly, trying to look anywhere but the area where Draco was currently stripping.

"Why?"

"Because..." The Gryffindor trailed off awkwardly.

"You're not embarrassed, are you?" Draco guessed with a grin, completely amused by that apparently.

"As a matter of fact I am!" Harry snapped, lifting his eyes to glare at his best friend. He instantly regretted it though as the Veela had his shirt hanging open, exposing the expanse of creamy, pale flesh of his chest and stomach. The dark haired boy looked away again almost instantly, blushing furiously.

"All the things we've done and you're embarrassed about being naked in front of me." The blonde said with a shake of his head.

"If you'd remember correctly, everytime we've done something we've both been fully clothed."

"So?" Draco shrugged easily. However, his nonchalant attitude faded when he realised that this wasn't going to be dealt with swiftly. "Harry, why are you do reluctant to be naked in front of me?"

Harry glanced up in his direction quickly before looking away again and taking a deep breath before speaking. "Do you remember when we got the chicken pox when were three?"

"Well, I don't remember it but Father's told me about it, yeah. I got hardly any spots but was sick as a dog whereas you were covered in spots but otherwise remained fine. Why?"

"I've...I've still got the scars from it in some places." The dark haired boy admitted quietly.

"Really?" Draco asked with raised eyebrows. "Where abouts?"

"Mostly on my shoulders and chest where I was able to scratch easily, but there are a couple on my back and legs as well. They're not the most attractive things ever..."

"And you think I'll find you totally grotesque because of them." Draco concluded with a shake of his head before moving forward so that he was standing right in front of his mate. "Harry," he said gently, bringing a hand to the smaller boy's chin to make him look up at him. "You could be covered in dragon pox scars for all I care, you'd still be the most beautiful creation I will ever set eyes on." Harry looked at him sceptically and the blonde sighed. "However, if you're really that hung up on it, I will look away until you're in the bath."

"Thanks." Harry murmured, pecking a kiss onto his Veela's cheek.

Draco merely grunted before turning around, not actually seeing the point. They were still going to be sharing the bath together so he'd still get glimpses. He wasn't going to argue though; he was hoping for some action in the next hour and so and he wasn't about to ruin that chance by getting into a disagreement over something that really didn't matter all that much.

A few minutes passed in relative silence, the only sound coming from the ruffling of Harry's clothes as he removed them. Then, when the Gryffindor had obviously finished undressing, light footsteps padded on the tiled floor seconds before there was a splash from the bath. Draco turned to look and saw Harry bob back up to the surface, his hair out of its usual braid and splayed out around him. The water lapped at the middle of his neck though it was unclear whether that was because the dark haired boy was slightly stooped or whether the water was really that high.

"Alright?" Draco checked from where he stood. His mate nodded. "Good." He said with a nod of his own before he went back to work on undressing himself.

The blonde finished taking off his shirt before moving onto his trousers, unbuckling his belt before working on the button and the zip. It was while he was lowering them that he first became aware of the eyes staring at him. Turning to look at the bath, Draco saw that Harry had sunk down a little further so that the surface of the water just reached his nose and that he was staring at him, clearly embarrassed but also obviously enthralled with the sight. The Veela gave him a wink as the trousers fell and that only seemed to make the Gryffindor more flustered as his eyes widened at the sight.

"Can you even see me properly?" The blonde inquired, referring to the fact the other teenager wasn't wearing his glasses, as he pulled down his boxer shorts, kicking them off to the side, leaving himself completely naked.

"I can see well enough." Harry mumbled, rising only enough so that his mouth was out of the water. Draco only smirked at that as he began to stroll over to the bath, grabbing his wand and a couple of towels on the way. When he reached the edge and went to get in, Harry moved closer to him and spoke: "Draco? Do you think I...Could I try something? On you?" He asked uncertainly.

"Try something?" Draco repeated, quirking an eyebrow. "What sort of something?"

"Something, err..." Harry struggled. "You know, something...Something..."

"Considering how red your face has turned I'm going to guess it's something sexual." The blonde grinned and that was confirmed when Harry sank back down in the water again, ripples spreading out across the surface from the water. "In that case, feel free to try away, I have nothing against it."

"Really?" The dark haired boy asked, his eyes widening in surprise or perhaps apprehension. "Um, okay. Could you, uh, could you sit on the edge then?"

"Here?" Draco checked as he lowered himself down, sitting on the edge of the bath so his legs dangled in the water but the majority of his body was out of it.

"Yeah." Harry confirmed as he moved a little closer, pausing when he reached the Veela's legs. "You'll..." He paused to swallow. "You'll need to spread your legs a bit for me."

And then it suddenly dawned on Draco what Harry was intending to do. "Are you sure Harry?" He checked gently, looking down at his mate still mostly submerged in the water. "I mean, I haven't even done it to you yet. Are you sure you don't want to experience it first and then have a go at it?"

Harry shook his head, rising up a little, his wet hair falling across his shoulders and chest, hiding the small scars he was obviously so paranoid about. "You're always doing this sort of thing for me and for once, I want to be the one...Pleasuring you. It won't be that much of a hardship, will it?" The dark haired boy asked teasingly with a coy smile.

"Just as long as you're sure you want this." The Luna Veela answered even as he moved his legs apart to grant his mate access.

Harry didn't answer that in words, instead just nodding mutely, his voice caught somewhere in his voice at the actual sight of Draco's manhood. It wasn't much different from his own which was reassuring, maybe a little less thick and a bit longer but it was nothing extreme. The blonde was already half erect which was rather flattering and gave the dark haired boy a small burst of confidence. So, acting before he could back out, he leaned forward, lowered his head and slowly, tentatively, ran his tongue along the length of the flesh.

Draco released a light sigh as he leaned back on his hands, his eyes firmly fixed to the top of the head of back hair. Small, brief licks were being run along his entire length and he allowed himself to relax completely. It wasn't the best he had ever had, that was impossible considering the Gryffindor had never done it before, but the fact that it was Harry doing it made up for it completely. For so long the Luna Veela had dreamed of Harry doing this with him and now that it was actually happening, he just hoped actually seeing it didn't tip him over the edge before he got to enjoy it fully. And the dark haired boy flicking his tongue over the tip before pulling the it into his mouth and sucking on it lightly didn't help convince the blonde otherwise.

"Merlin Harry..." Draco gasped, running his fingers through the black hair. In reply, Harry looked up him through his lashes so that their gazes met. The Veela shuddered in pleasure then, his eyes closing for a moment before he seemed to make the conscious effort to open them again so he could keep looking down at his mate. "You don't know how beautiful you look right now love." The blonde moaned, his hips moving up just a tiny bit. "Looking up at me like that, your lips stretched around my cock..."

Harry felt a thrill run through him upon hearing that and he tried to ignore the desperate pleas for attention his own body was making in favour of concentrating on Draco. The Luna Veela was always doing this sort of thing for him and for once he was going to return the favour without thinking of himself. To stop his hands from wandering, he brought them forward to fondle where he couldn't reach with his mouth. He increased his sucking and stroked the shaft with his right hand, loving the sounds he was encouraging from the blonde. The hand in his hair clenched rhythmically and there was a very definite tension in Draco's hips and thighs making it clear that he was stopping himself from moving too much, nothing more than the occasional flinch before the blonde got himself under control again.

Finally, just when Harry was starting to feel to he wasn't getting enough air, Draco lost control and thrust up into the dark haired boy's mouth. It was rather surprising but the Gryffindor did well not to choke, instead drawing back a little so that the head didn't hit the back of his throat as the thrusting continued. The Luna Veela's breathing was coming out in short, sharp pants, his hips never ceasing their movement. Then, a sort of strangled noise which escaped Draco's throat was the only warning Harry got before his mouth was flooded with the Veela's seed.

Although it wasn't exactly a great taste, Harry had had much worse in the past; it was better than any number of potions he'd been force fed over the years, and bananas as well. However, what the dark haired teenager wasn't prepared for was the amount there was and he'd soon had too much to swallow comfortably and therefore choked a little when it started to head down the wrong section of his throat. He pulled away quickly and turned away slightly, a hand coming up to cover his mouth as he coughed fitfully, trying to clear his air-passage of the obstruction.

"Are...Are you...All right?" Draco panted from beside Harry and he felt the water ripple from the blonde sliding into the water and making his way over to him.

When a hand came to rest on his shoulder, he raised a hand to wave off the concern since he was still struggling to stop his coughing. Eventually, once the need to cough had passed, he managed to finally reply with words. "Just went down the wrong hole." Harry gave another small cough before a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that."

Draco shook his head and gave him a smile. "I should apologise for not warning you, it was your first time after all."

"Um, how...How was I?" Harry asked shyly.

The blonde smirked lightly and pulled the dark haired boy flush against him then. "Wonderful." He breathed in Harry's ear, making him shiver at the sensation. "In fact, I think I should reward you." Draco murmured as he brought a hand to wrap around the Gryffindor's erection.

"And I think we should do what we came here to do." Harry told the Luna Veela as we pulled away, pushing himself backwards so he got come space in between them.

"But we've got all night to do that." The Veela countered as he glided forward, fixing a predatory gaze on the dark haired boy.

"Yes, and we also have all night to be together so let's get the egg out of the way first, hmm?" The Gryffindor said with a small smile as he dodged around the Slytherin to get over to the side of the bath where the egg was resting, knowing full well he'd only managed to get past because Draco had allowed him to; if the Veela really wanted them to be intimate right at that moment there would have been no way that Harry would have been able to pass him so easily.

"Fine." Draco sighed lightly before moving over to Harry, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy's waist from behind when he reached him. "So did Diggory happen to tell you exactly what use being in the bath was?"

"No." The Gryffindor murmured as he brought the egg right up close to his face so he could see it clearly without his glasses on. "Do you think I should try and open it again?"

"Well, that'll probably be more productive than just staring at it."

So, with that, Harry twisted the top, causing the golden shell to split open. The usual, ear-piercing noise screeched out causing both boys to wince and Harry to accidently drop the egg in the water. When the egg was submerged, the horrible noise ended and Harry and Draco opened their eyes and looked at each other in surprise. Then they moved their gazes onto the golden shape underneath the water and thought they could hear a very soft music coming from the sunken egg. Without even thinking about it really, Harry took in a deep breath and relaxed his legs so that he fell under the water, going after the egg.

As soon as Harry's head was underneath the surface of the water, he could easily hear the song that was being emitted by the cracked golden egg and allowed himself a few minutes to hear what the egg had to say to him. When he'd heard its message once and nothing new came, he rose back up, leaving the egg in the water for the moment, breaking through the water and the bubbles, sucking in a huge breath and trying to wipe the water away from his eyes with his one free hand. Draco's arms were around him in an instant, holding him steady so that he didn't accidently over-balance and fall back under.

"Well?" The blonde inquired when Harry's breathing returned to normal.

"I don't suppose you know whether there are merpeople in the Lake, do you?" The dark haired boy inquired, opening his eyes carefully.

"Oh, very good Harry." The voice of Moaning Myrtle came suddenly. The two teenagers looked up to see the ghost was floating above the bath and Draco instantly made Harry sink down in the water so that the dead girl couldn't catch a peek of anything. It didn't go un-noticed by the girl and she giggled as she floated down to them. "It took the other one ages to figure it out." She told them, floating inches above the water and coming right up close to Harry's face.

"Yes, well, thank you for the confirmation but if would go now Myrtle." Draco bit out, glaring at the ghost angrily, not amused by the fact that she was present when his mate was naked.

"Why? Are you planning on putting on another delicious show?" The girl giggled.

"Another what?" Harry squeaked, his cheeks turning bright red, knowing deep down what the girl was referring to.

Draco gave a frustrated growl and cupped a handful of water before turning it into a lump of ice. He threw it at her but Myrtle wasn't going to hang around after revealing that fact though and with a cackle, she dove into the water and then never came back up, Draco's lump of ice following on seconds behind her. "Bloody little pervert." The blonde muttered as he slumped down in the water so that it reached his neck, glaring at the spot where the ghost had vanished.

"At least she's not alive." Harry pointed out weakly.

"S'not the point." Draco grunted and Harry just knew that the Luna Veela was quickly falling into a foul move.

Not wanting their bath together to end badly, Harry moved over to the blonde and pressed himself against the slick, naked body, bringing his arms around Draco's neck and lifting his legs to wrap around the slim waist, the water meaning he weighed practically nothing. "At least she's gone now." The dark haired boy noted as he leaned in closer to nuzzle at the Veela's neck as hands came to cup his backside and support him. "There's no one around to watch."

"Is something to watch going to happen then?" Draco murmured playfully even as teasing fingertips began to probe at Harry's opening.

"What do you think?" Harry grinned before leaning forward and capturing the Veela's lips in a heated kiss.

22nd February 1995: Midday

So, the problem was solved, Harry knew what was expected of him; one hour, searching for something under water. There were only two problems. Problem Number One: he had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for. Problem Number Two: there was no way he would be able to hold his breath under water for an hour. But then Draco, that wonderful, intelligent Slytherin, had suggested something which could easily be obtained considering who Harry's father was; gillyweed. Gillyweed would work perfectly. The only problem with that was Severus wasn't allowed to help him. So Harry needed a way to allow his father to know what was going on and at the same time get his silent permission to go into his personal stores and take what he needed.

And that led him to where he was now, stepping into the Potions classroom, intent on leaving with permission to take the gillyweed he needed. He knew how he was going to do it and he was pretty confident it was going to work, but just to make sure, he had his hair loose, just how Severus liked it.

Entering the classroom, Harry immediately spotted his father at his desk, appearing to be marking essays which wasn't going to make things any easier for Harry as the man was hardly in the best mood when marking essays. He needed to get permission as soon as possible though and so he wouldn't turn away. Of course Severus would help him, even if he had to use a sob story and fake fear to act on the professor's emotions.

So, slowly, Harry made his way down the length of the classroom, towards the Potions Master. Even when he was standing right in front of the man, he got no greeting and so he opened up communication. "Father?" Harry asked slyly as he slowly walked up behind Severus.

"Hmm?" Came the distracted grunt.

"If I were to ask you if you had any gillyweed laying around, what would your answer be?" He inquired innocently, stopping directly behind the Potions Master so there was barely a breath of air between them.

"Possibly." Severus answered, still sounding rather distracted.

"I see. And, if some were to, say, disappear, would you miss it?" Harry continued to query as he slid his arms around the man's waist in a loose hug.

"Not particularly." That sounded more like Severus was actually paying attention to what his son was saying and there was a hint of suspicion in there as well.

"Right. So, just out of pure curiosity, if I wanted to find your gillyweed, where would be the best place to look?" The long haired teenager asked finally.

"Haryon..." Ah, there, the professor had cottoned on to what the Gryffindor was getting at.

"I'm merely showing an interest Father." Harry interrupted quickly, tightening his arms around the man slightly.

A long period of silence followed then and Harry began to fear that he wasn't going to be answered and therefore not given silent permission to take what he needed. However, finally, he heard a small sigh from above before Severus spoke: "In my personal stores, seventh shelf up, next to the Veritiserum."

"Fascinating." Harry grinned, mentally cheering for his success. "Father, have I told you how much I love you lately?" His grin could easily be heard in his voice and he gave his father an affectionate squeeze.

"Away with you brat." Was the only reply he got but there was no malice in the tone, rather there was amusement and a very definite sense that the man was relieved he'd finally been able to help his son in some small way.

Harry held Severus for a few more moments before pressing a kiss to the man's clothed shoulder blade as it was the only area he could reach in that position. "Yes Father." He agreed with a grin before letting go and practically running from the classroom, intent on retrieving the gillyweed as soon as possible.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

24th February 1995: Morning

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Harry muttered as he walked towards the lake, surrounded by his friends and younger brother and sister.

It had been a rough night for Harry. He hadn't been able to sleep for his nerves and neither had he been able to sit still. Not a bite of breakfast had passed his lips, not that his stomach seemed to miss the food. Then, to make him even more anxious then before, both Hermione and Severus had been missing from breakfast which only made him worry about where they were. Now, with only half an hour before the Second Task was due to begin, neither of the two were anywhere to be found.

"You've got nothing in your stomach to sick up." Draco replied, obviously in a rather foul mood himself. "You should've eaten something Harry; you need the energy."

"I have more than enough nervous energy to last me the rest of my life I think." Harry replied as his hands came up to hold his head. "Goddess, I should've prayed more last night, I need all the help I can get." He brought a hand up to his neck and felt around the area where his pendent usually hung. "My neck feels naked."

"Are you done yet?" Johnathan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up John!" Violet instantly scolded him with a glare. "Harry has a right to complain at the moment."

"Did Hermione say anything about meeting us?" Harry quickly interrupted, not wanting an argument to break out between his brother and sister.

"Nope." John answered.

"Last time we saw her was last night. She was in the common room when we headed up to bed." Ron explained. "Maybe she's decided to support Krum." He added with a frown.

"No, I don't think she'd do that." Harry mused as he nervously stared off to his side, only to catch sight of a familiar head of white blonde hair a few feet off. "Uncle Lucius; maybe he's seen Father." He said to himself out-loud. "Uncle Lucius!" He called before dashing over to the man, Draco following along and the rest of their friends hanging behind to wait for them to return.

"Ah, good morning Haryon, Draco." Lucius greeted them as they reached him.

"Good morning Father." Draco returned.

"Yes, morning." Harry said distractedly before getting into what he really wanted to talk about. "Uncle Lucius, have you see Father today?"

"No, not even when I arrived this morning. Dumbledore said he was busy with something but refused to say what." The blonde man replied, sounding rather put out that he was being kept in the dark about Severus' doings.

Harry though was just worried. "Oh, where can he be then?"

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Lucius reassured his godson, placing a supportive hand on the teenager's shoulder. "Just concentrate on the Task; your father is more than capable of looking after himself."

"Yes, I suppose so." Harry sighed weakly before turning with Draco to head back over to the rest of his friends. "I'll see you afterwards Uncle Lucius."

"Good luck Haryon." He wished. "And Draco; do try to remain calm."

"Easy for him to say." Draco muttered quietly so that his father couldn't over-hear. "I'm not sure whether the fact I'm not going to be able to see much is a good thing or not. At least when I could see you I couldn't imagine a whole barrage of terrible fates."

"I'll be fine." Harry reassured simply, taking Draco's hand in his and giving it a squeeze just as they reached the group of Gryffindors again. "Where abouts will you all be sitting?" He asked everyone as they all started to slowly move forward again.

"Front row..." Fred grinned.

"...Centre." George added with a matching grin.

"Where else?" They said together.

"Hey, look over there!" Violet said suddenly, pointing over to in the stands. Everyone turned to look and the majority held back frowns. "It's Mum and Dad!" She smiled before waving over there and yelling at the top of her voice: "Mum! Dad! Hi!"

"What are they doing here?" Harry mumbled as he quickly looked away from where the two adults were sitting and currently waving to their daughter.

"They're probably here to watch." Violet pointed out with a grin to which Harry just glared at her. That only seemed to amuse her though and she gave a laugh before dashing off into the stands, no doubt to say hello to her parents properly.

"They wrote and asked if the public were allowed to come and watch the Tasks. I told them there'd probably be no problem and then heard nothing more about it." John explained. "I just figured they had lost interest in it all."

"Obviously not." Harry groaned, running a hand over the top of his head, being careful not to mess up his neat braid. "Ugh, could this day get any worse?"

"Well, there's Rita Skeeter sitting in the stands." George pointed out, looking in the direction the woman was located in.

Harry and the others followed his gaze to find that, indeed, the woman was sitting there with the teachers in the stands. "Great, now everything which could've gone wrong has gone wrong. Perhaps I'll forget to take the gillyweed and just let myself drown."

"Oi, don't even joke about that." Draco scolded him.

"But Draco, this is terrible! I'm about to take part in a dangerous tournament that I didn't even sign up for under the eyes of Merlin knows how many people including my birth parents who just happen to be two of the people who my father hates most in the world and said father is no where to be found!" Harry cried before taking in a deep breath. "Goddess, I can't do this." He breathed out, looking at the Luna Veela in front of him with pleading eyes though what he was pleading for was unclear.

"Good, let's go get an early lunch then." Draco smiled as he began to pull Harry away.

"No," Fred said patiently as he caught Harry's free arm to hold him back. "You know you have to do this Harry so there's no point in trying to get out of it. Just keep calm and you'll do just fine. Now, deep breaths." He instructed, gently patting the dark haired boy's hand in a reassuring way.

Harry did as instructed, breathing in deeply before letting it out in a slow whoosh. After doing that a couple of times, he nodded a little. "Right, okay, I'm all right now."

"Ya sure?" George asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I should get going now." The dark haired teenager said quietly as he released Draco's hand and turned to go. "When exactly am I supposed to swallow this stuff again?" He inquired, holding up the hand which held the gillyweed.

"Just before you get into water." Draco told him quickly. "It's fresh so it should start working straight away."

"Right, okay, got it." Harry nodded, clearly distracted, before he began to move away.

"Good luck mate!" George called to him.

"We've got money riding on you remember!" Fred reminded him.

"You stay down there for longer than an hour and I swear I'm coming in after you!" Draco called next.

"Try not to come last!" That was John.

"Show 'em what Gryffindors are made of!" Ron that time.

"WE LOVE HARYON SNAPE!" That was the scream of Violet and her fellow fan-girls who she had moved to sit with.

Harry turned and waved to them all with a smile, but when he turned back to face forwards, he smile vanished and worry over-took him; something had to be seriously wrong with Severus and Hermione to make them miss this.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Severus suddenly disappearing; it was nothing to worry about Lucius had said. Dumbledore had said that he was off doing something. More like he was trapped under water and being guarded by a whole bunch of merpeople! When Harry had heard that something had been stolen from him the night before, he had imagined it to be a trinket of some sort, not his own father! But there the man was, floating several feet away from where Harry was at that moment. The distance was soon closed however as Harry swam forward as quickly as he could.

Finally reaching his father, Harry grabbed onto the man to stop himself from going any further. They both continued back a little bit but moved nowhere drastic as Severus was tied down to something with a long length of material which was tied around his ankle. Beside him, to the right, was a line of three others, the one immediately next to them being Hermione. Quickly, the dark haired teenager checked his father over to see if he was still alive and, once reassured that the Potions Master was quite fine, he allowed himself to sink down a little in order to un-tie the knot of cloth which kept the man from floating up to the surface again.

Before he could start to work on the knot however, to his side, from out of the murk of the water, came the form of one of the other contestants and, as they drew closer, it became apparent that it was Cedric, the lower half of his face enclosed by a bubble, (the Bubble-Head charm! Why didn't Harry think of that? Would've been so much easier than having to choke down a mouthful of gillyweed!). The Hufflepuff aimed his wand at the material which kept Cho Chang anchored down, a spark flying from the top and severing it on contact, before quickly swimming forward and stopping her from floating up too far without him. When all that was done, he looked to Harry and tapped his wrist watch with his wand. Harry nodded to show his understanding and with that, Cedric turned and began to swim up, back towards the surface.

Once the older teenager was gone, Harry returned to work on the knot around his father's ankle. He managed to get it undone quite easily and then quickly swam up in order to take on of Severus' arms to stop him from floating away. Then, he noticed that all the surrounded merpeople were quickly swimming further away which was puzzling. The puzzle was quickly solved though when Harry saw a shark heading straight towards him. With a startled cry, he quickly moved backwards, dragging Severus along with him, only to see that the shark was actually Krum when he passed by. The Durmstrang student grabbed the material keeping Hermione down in between his teeth, effectively tearing it, and then began to drag her upwards.

Harry frowned in determination; if he swam as fast as he could, he might just be able to beat Krum to the surface. But, he had barely moved before he caught sight of the last person left tied down; Fleur's little sister. He had seen Fleur earlier and knew that she had been forced to retire from this Task. So what would happen to her little sister? Someone would no doubt come down for her eventually but what would happen until then? Surely being down there in the freezing water for so long would affect her negatively? The real question, Harry supposed, was whether he could leave the young girl down in the water with a clear conscience? He knew the answer before he had even finished asking himself the question.

Pointing his wand towards the strip of material anchoring the young Delacour down, he used the same spell Cedric had before quickly swimming over and catching the girl, immediately carrying on upwards. The merpeople weren't happy though and began to pursue him soon after he had started towards the surface. Harry managed to keep ahead of them though, even with the extra weight of the two stiff bodies either side of him. In fact, he managed to break through the surface before things started to go pear-shaped.

Harry, Severus and the young blonde girl all surfaced with huge gasps and wasted no time in heading over to the platform so that they could heave themselves out of the water. The Potions Master ushered the French girl on ahead of himself and Harry followed on behind him, going slower as he had been swimming for much longer. Just as Severus was being helped out of the water by Dumbledore, Harry felt something wrap around his ankle. That was the only warning he got before he was suddenly yanked down, falling back underneath the surface of the water, his mouth opening in surprise and being immediately filled with water.

Looking down, Harry saw that the merpeople hadn't given up on him and it was one of them that now had his ankle. But it was all right as the gillyweed was still in effect, he had time to sort this problem out. He tried shaking himself free but that didn't work so he reached into the pocket of his shorts for his wand. Pointing it down to all the of the merpeople, he spoke a single word: "Imobulus" sending out a shot of light which instantly paralysed all the merpeople. They floated away from him calmly, no longer any sort of threat and Harry slipped his wand back into his pocket. However, just as he did that, panic set in as he felt an odd sensation in his neck. He brought his hands up to touch his throat and as he did a spike of fear shot through him; the gills on his neck were closing, the gillyweed was wearing off.

Harry immediately began to try and get back up to the surface again as quickly as possible but as his hands and feet returned to normal, it got harder and harder to move through the water. The merpeople had dragged him down further than he had first thought and it was quite a way up to the surface and every movement he made sapped the strength from his muscles.

All too soon, movement became impossible and the lack of oxygen began to take affect. Harry stubbornly held onto his last breath though and quickly got his wand back out. With a quick, silent prayer of hope to his Great Lady, he pointed the tip of his wand down to his feet.

"Ascendio."

The spell worked immediately, pushing Harry up through the water and sending him shooting out of the surface. He flipped over awkwardly in mid-air before landing heavily on the platform on his side. He coughed fitfully the moment he had landed on the wood, curling into himself and covering his mouth with one of his hands. A big, fluffy towel was almost instantly draped over his shoulders and large, strong hands held his shoulders and he knew immediately that it was Severus who was now crouching at his side.

"Are...Are you...Al-all right?" He managed to get out through his coughing.

"Yes." Came the single syllable answer and Harry knew that was all he was going to get when they were such a public situation.

"He's all right." Harry heard Dumbledore announce to everyone else as Severus helped him get up onto his feet.

"Go and get him another towel." The Potions Master suddenly ordered someone in a monotone.

"I want all the judges over here now!" Dumbledore's voice came again.

Just as Harry managed to calm his coughing, he was confronted with a very up-close image of Fleur Delacour. "You saved 'er, even zhough she was not yours to save!" She gushed to him, gripping the tops of both of his arms, her little sister standing next to her, wrapped in one of the fluffy towels. "Zhank you! Oh zhank you so much!" And with that, she held Harry's face in between her hands and planted two kisses on both of his cheeks.

A bright blush lit Harry's cheeks moments after that and he blinked a few times in surprise. Then, having had no time to recover from the affections of one girl, he was suddenly confronted with the form of a very wet Hermione. She threw herself at him and instantly wrapped her arms around his waist. "Are you all right? Merlin, you must be freezing!" She said quickly as she released him and brought her own towel from around her to drape it over his shoulders bringing his towel collection to three now, Severus adjusting its position on his son's shoulders for him. "Although you scared me half to death, that was a wonderfully kind thing to do."

"Did me no favours though, I came last." Harry pointed out wryly and instantly regretted it when that seemed to provoke Hermione to grabbing his head, (much like Fleur had) and firmly kissing his forehead.

"Second from last; Fleur never got past the Grindylows after all." She corrected him as she pulled back, finally giving him some room.

"Attention!" Dumbledore called then, the tip of his wand pointing to his throat to amplify his voice. Everyone standing around him immediately flinched at the unbearably loud voice. "The winner is Mr Diggory who showed an innate command of the Bubble-Head Charm." Cheering came then right up until the Headmaster began to speak again. "However, seeing as Mr Snape would have finished first had it not been for his determination to rescue not only his father but the other as well, we've agreed to award him second place." More cheering and Harry was rather shocked, only moving because Hermione was clinging to his arm and jumping up and down in excitement.

The cheering continued on after that and it finally sunk into Harry what had happened. He snapped out of his stupor and gave a cheer, hugging Hermione in return finally before launching himself at his father, attaching himself to the man like a limpet. Severus' arms came around and gave him a light squeeze before one arm left him and the one that remained held him around the shoulders and gently guided him forwards, towards the boats which would take them back to solid ground.

24th February 1995: Evening

"Here's to Harry!" Fred cheered loudly as he and George raised their goblets of pumpkin juice in a toast as soon as they were allowed at their dinner.

"For holding first position!" George added as Harry wanted nothing more than to disappear from the attention that the twins had drawn onto him and his small group.

The day had passed by relatively quietly for Harry due to the fact he had spent most of it in hiding. Once back on solid ground, he had been whisked away by his family to the dungeons where they had kept him until they were all sure he was completely all right. The whole experience had almost traumatised Draco and it took him ages to snap out of his Veela mode which usually only occurred during the full moon. Severus had relaxed as soon as he was satisfied that Harry was unscathed and Lucius had remained calm throughout, adding a much needed element of sanity to the whole thing. The rest of the afternoon had been spent relaxing before dinner had started and all the fuss finally came.

"I am tied with Cedric though." Harry pointed out rather weakly.

"Don't put yourself down Harry!" Violet protested from where she was sitting a few seat down with the rest of her friends, all of who whooped their agreement enthusiastically, only making Harry want to vanish all the more.

"Your sister's right Harry; joint first is something to be proud of." Hermione agreed.

"And you beat Krum of all people!" Ron put in with a wide grin.

Harry said nothing to that, there wasn't really anything he could say, instead opting to remain silent. He almost wished that he had left the youngest Delacour down in the lake. That way, he wouldn't be tied with Cedric and wouldn't have all this unwanted attention thrown at him. If his friends and siblings were proud of him, that was great, but did they really have to be so loud in their praise? Why couldn't they be more like Draco and keep quiet about it? The blonde knew he wasn't one for attention and ceremony and was so keeping quiet, simply being a reassuring presence that was constantly at his side and if there was one thing Harry needed at that moment, it was something to reassure him.

He didn't know if it was because of everything which had happened that day or something else, but there was a horrible feeling of dread which would not leave the back of Harry's mind. It niggled and prodded and continuously made sure to scream its presence so that it could not be forgotten. It was an obscure feeling so he couldn't pin-point exactly what it was that was making him feel so on edge but he knew for a fact it wasn't just his imagination. Unfortunately, he didn't know whether it was just a lingering feeling from that day's Task or whether it was something on-coming. It hadn't escaped his attention that Professor Moody was absent from dinner that night and if he was completely honest, he was putting the feeling of dread down to the strange man, if only in the back of his head.

"Are you all right?" Draco's voice suddenly whispered in Harry's ear and he jumped a little, leaning to his side in order to get a proper look at the blonde who had leaned in closer to him. "You seem distant; is something the matter?"

"No, it's nothing." Harry assured with a smile. "Just lingering nerves I should think."

"Still? Surely you should've calmed by now." The Luna Veela said, clearly concerned, as he brought a hand up to gently brush some stray strands of hair away from Harry's eyes.

Harry opened his mouth to reassure his mate, but no voice left his throat as his vision went black as a vision took him over:

()()()()()()()()()()()()

He was in a forest, a familiar forest, and it took Him only a moment to realise that it was part of the Forbidden Forest. There was nothing directly in front of Him or to either of his sides and so that left only the possibility of there being something behind Him. He turned and looked and saw two figures, one was obscured by shadow but the other one was in plain sight; Mr Crouch.

Everything was silent but sound was not needed for Him to know what was going on. Mr Crouch was scared of whoever it was hidden in the shadows and He was determined to see who the person was. He started towards the figure but froze when he saw the tip of a wand being pointed towards the scared man. Bringing Himself back to reality quickly, He lurched forward, hoping to reach the wand in time to knock it off aim before a spell was cast. He seemed to be moving in slow-motion though because He had barely moved anywhere before green light shot from the tip of the wand a rushed towards the one person who visible...

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Mr Crouch!" Harry gasped as he came out of his vision, uncaring if he attracted the attention of anyone, which he did do. The moment he had gone into his vision he had attracted a great deal of attention and by the end the entire Great Hall was staring at him in interest. It made no difference to him that everyone was staring, it made no difference that he had obviously toppled backwards at some point and was being kept off of the ground by Draco's arms only and it even made no difference that Severus and Lucius were currently hurrying over to him.

With a strength born out of fear, Harry wrenched himself from the Veela's hold and went falling the short distance he was above the floor. He was unphased by that though and simply quickly picked himself up before dashing towards the doors of the Great Hall, ignoring the calls which came after him. There was no time for reassurances, there was no time to explain anything because if he didn't get to wherever it was in time, Mr Crouch was going to die! And Harry could not let that happen, at least not without making the effort of getting there; it would haunt him forever if he didn't get there in time because he chose to speak to others first.

He ran with a speed he never knew he was capable of, trusting his instincts to lead him in the right direction because it had been impossible to see which part of the Forbidden Forest he had seen in his vision. His instincts had served him well before though and he had faith that they would do the same again. So he kept running, without thought of where he was going exactly, just allowing his feet to take him in whatever direction some part of him thought was right.

Not once did he slow down. Not even when he entered the forest and low, thin branches swiped across his face, splitting the skin and causing blood to trickle down his cheeks, did he relax his pace. When his lungs started to burn and his muscles started to sting from the lack of oxygen, he fought on. Then, suddenly, a cold feeling ran through him, making him stop abruptly, skidding a little before becoming still. It was at that moment that he knew. He knew he hadn't been fast enough and his vision had come to pass.

Feeling abruptly weak, as though someone had come and sucked out all his energy with the event of Mr Crouch's death, Harry staggered to his side and slumped against a tree for support. Guilt and remorse created a lump in his throat which made regaining his lost breath a hard task and he blinked back the tears which were starting to gather in his eyes. Swallowing and then taking in a deep breath, he pushed away from the tree and set off again. He couldn't let himself just break down, (at least not right at that moment), he had to find Mr Crouch just in case whoever it was that killed him tried to do away with the body in order to hide the crime.

The murder of Mr Crouch wasn't exactly surprising; Harry was well aware there were several people who wouldn't have minded if the man were to suddenly "disappear" so to speak. But the man had been killed in the grounds of Hogwarts of all places! That made the whole thing much more sinister and a lot more worrying. Harry momentarily entertained the idea that the killing might be linked with Voldemort in some way, what with Crouch having a hand in locking up so many Death Eaters including his own son, but then he though better of it. Not everything terrible in the world revolved around Voldemort and Death Eaters.

When it came down to it, it didn't take long for Harry to locate the body of the Mr Crouch. He was alerted to the fact he was probably nearby when he spotted the man's hat laying on the ground. Sure enough, the body was a few feet away, obscured by a tree from the direction he had approached from, and the man was quite clearly dead. His eyes were open, staring up at the canopy of leaves above with a blank, unseeing gaze and he was sprawled out on the slightly damp ground in what would have been a most uncomfortable position had the man been alive.

With a regretful sigh, Harry dropped to his knees beside the still body. He just stared down at the man sadly, waiting for the others who had no doubt followed to catch up to him.

1st March 1995: Early Morning

He was outside, yet He was warm. The air around Him was a lovely temperature despite it being the middle of the night. Or was it? The sky was very over-cast despite the warm weather so maybe it was day but just very gloomy. It looked as though a storm might be coming...

Looking around Himself, it didn't take long to realise where He was and He felt an definite chill run through him at the sight. A graveyard. He was back in a graveyard! This was like the dream He'd had the night after the Yule Ball! Only He realised it now, He knew this was a vision. But there was still no sign as to what could there possibly be to see here, of all places. There was still no one around and so He started forward as He did before, looking around all the while, keeping His eyes open for anything.

When He stopped again, He was standing in front of the large tomb stone/memorial statue from before. The gloom once again made it look awfully creepy and there was still definitely something about it. He felt as though there was something He was supposed to be seeing, something important, something He'd not yet spotted. It was essential that He saw it and so He looked all over the statue, determined to find whatever it was so that he didn't have to come back to this place a third time. The first time had been bad enough and this second time was probably going to equally as unpleasant.

All over the statue He looked again it seemed, paying extra attention to the obscure areas because that's where something important was most likely to be. He was just about to give up with a frustrated groan but that's when events changed. Instead of seeing something in the corner of His eye, He caught sight of some engraved writing. His heart gave a jump of anticipation and He pressed closer to it, wanting to read the writing He was sure was important. But, before He could properly make out the words in the gloom, He heard foot-steps on the ground. With a gasp, He turned to see who it was.

"Kill the spare."

The order was hissed out poisonously in a voice He recognised. His eyes flickered to the direction the voice had come from but His gaze didn't quite make it in time to look before a green light completely blocked his vision and then everything turned black.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A slightly strangled gasp escaped Harry as he wrestled himself out of his covers, waking up feeling suddenly claustrophobic. His brow felt chilled with a cold sweat and his heart was pounding with such an intensity it felt like it was going to burst. The darkness around him didn't help with the sudden fear which was practically choking him and he fumbled to open the curtains around his bed. Seeing the other occupants of the room asleep in their beds and the dull glow coming in from the window helped to calm but he still felt terrible and he knew that he was trembling.

Those words he had heard and the voice which had spoken them; it had been so horribly familiar. It was the same voice he had heard in his Third Year. It had been the voice of Voldemort.

There was no use in trying, Harry knew he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, not without some sort of help. Maybe it was because he was still shaken and wasn't really thinking of what he was doing, or perhaps he knew perfectly well what he was doing, but either way, Harry scooted out of bed and headed out of the dorm room. He went down the stairs, through the common room, out of the portrait hole, along several corridors and then, as though it had taken him no more than a few seconds, he stood in front of the portrait of Salazar Slytherin which protected the rooms of the Head of Slytherin.

Harry raised his hand and curled it into a light fist before going to knock on the frame of the portrait. However, his knuckles froze, hovering just over the wooden frame when a voice came: "Isssn't it a little late for you to be down here Gryffindor?"

It took several seconds for Harry to realise that the hiss of parseltongue had come from in front of him rather than behind and that it hadn't been Voldemort's voice but the voice of Slytherin. That didn't make it any better for him though and he fought the desire to just turn and run. "I don't believe that's any of your business." He said in English, not wanting to humour the man by speaking in parseltongue.

"It is when you wake me up at such a ridiculously early hour. Go back to your tower, Gryffindor."

"I didn't come here to argue with you, you know." Harry glared up at the portrait before finally reaching out and knocking on the portrait's frame loudly, doing it a little harder than normal mostly just to annoy the Hogwarts founder. "And I never asked for you to pass comment."

"If I had my way, you wouldn't even be in the school." The man in the portrait sniffed disdainfully. "Gryffindors are un-needed, as are Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaws; they have a certain purpose."

"To give the thicker Slytherins someone to copy off hmm?"

"Slytherins are superior in all ways, including intelligence."

"You obviously haven't met Vincent Crabbe or Gregory Goyle." Harry grunted. Before an answer could be given by the portrait however, it swung open quickly, missing smacking into Harry by mere millimetres. He recoiled instinctively, stepping back a few paces and closing his eyes as though expecting an impact.

"This had better be impor..." Severus began to snap, no doubt expecting some nameless student to be waiting for him. Upon seeing that it was his son standing there meekly, his words stopped and his expression softened. "Haryon? What are you doing down here?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you but I...I had a dream and I was wondering if I could have a potion to get back to sleep." He murmured quietly.

"A dream?" The man said with a light frown as he stepped forward and gently tilted his son's head up. "You look pale."

"I don't want to cause a fuss..."

"Don't be ridiculous, come inside." Severus insisted as he brought an arm around Harry's shoulders and drew him inside. "You're freezing! Where's your dressing gown?"

"I, uh, I must've forgotten to grab it; wasn't really thinking." Harry mumbled, allowing himself to be led further into Severus' rooms.

"Sev, who was it?" The familiar voice of Lucius drawled from the bedroom as the father and son entered the living room.

"It was, and still is, Haryon." Severus called back, gently guiding the dark haired teenager to the sofa and gently sitting him down on it.

"Haryon?" Came the surprised reply. Moments later, the blonde man emerged from the bedroom wearing the second of the Potions Master's black dressing gowns. "What's happened?"

"I had a dream so I came for a potion; I never meant to disturb you both." Harry answered, bowing his head and staring down at his knees.

"You're not." Severus assured him as he ran his hand over his son's head. "I'll make you some tea." And with that, he moved over to the door which led into a very small kitchen there for the specific purpose of making tea Harry often thought.

As Severus left the room, Lucius came to sit beside Harry, managing to keep a sense of sophistication despite the fact he was wearing nothing more than a dressing gown. "What was your dream about?"

"Erm..." Harry hesitated, wondering how to describe it exactly. "I'm in a graveyard and someone, I never see who, casts the Killing curse on me."

""Never see"? You've had the dream before?"

"Once or twice." The dark haired teenager nodded wearily before turning to look at his godfather. "I really am sorry to disturb you Uncle Lucius; if I had known you were here I would have just grinned and bared it."

"Neither your father nor I would want you to do that Haryon, not when we could so easily help you." Lucius assured. "The dream you had, do you think it was a vision?"

"I'm not sure...It could be..."

The blonde man must have sensed the unsurity in his godson because he moved closer to the teenager and gently pulled him into an embrace. Harry allowed it to happen though he was rather surprised as it was very rare for Lucius to ever initiate a hug. He was just grateful for it at that moment though; it was calming and assured him that he wasn't alone in all of this.

With a sigh, he relaxed against his godfather, closing his eyes and soaking up the warmth the man was offering. He felt a kiss being placed on his hair-line and smiled, pleased that he had decided to take the risk to come down to his father's rooms.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

5th March 1995: Morning

Things weren't going well in the world for Harry. Mr Crouch was dead and he had seen it happen through a vision, the days kept passing drawing the Final Task ever closer to him and Dumbledore had tried and failed to have the Tournament cancelled. Add to that the stress of school work and of the fact that Rita Skeeter was still writing rubbish about him and his friends and it was no real surprise that he often woke up in the mornings simply wishing he could go back to sleep forever again.

In fact, at that breakfast, that seemed to be exactly what he was trying to do. Instead of eating as he was supposed to, he sat half-slumped over the table, his head buried in his folded arms. Draco's arm around his shoulders was a warm, solid anchor which kept him safe in the knowledge that he was never alone despite what he felt at points over the last few days and the easy chatter of Fred and George was reassuring that no matter how bad things got, some elements of life never changed. And, no one was trying to make him eat anything which was a relief. Unfortunately, there was something bringing him down; the thought of the on-coming delivery of the Daily Prophet. Its arrival was a time to be dreaded for Harry now and he was looking forward to it about as much as he was looking forward to exams.

When the paper did come, the dark haired boy didn't even lift his head. He didn't need to, he already knew it wasn't going to be anything in his favour. Indeed, with the indignant cry from Hermione and the various phrases coming from Fred and George, it was obviously for the best that he hadn't bothered to even lift his head.

"This is ridiculous!" Fred cried indignantly.

"Surely someone's doing something to stop her from doing this?" George asked.

"Father's working on it." Draco told them as he peeled a banana casually. "He says it's not easy though; she's a woman who knows how to protect herself from the law."

"She's not the sort of woman who reacts to lawful, legal matters, that much is obvious in the lies she has printed." Hermione muttered, glaring down at the copy of the newspaper she had in front of her.

"Just as well we're well on the way to finding out some decent blackmail material on her then." Fred grinned somewhat evilly, catching the attention of the three sitting in front of him and his brother.

"Really?" The only girl sitting there spoke up first.

"What is it?" Harry asked curiously, finally lifting his head.

"Uh, uh, not yet." George said in a teasing way, wagging his finger a few times.

"You'll find out soon enough, hopefully." Fred grinned.

12th March 1995: Evening

Carefully, Harry dipped the tip of his quill in the small jar of ink which was resting on a dangerously thin part of a shelf before noting down a 12 next to the word "Veritaserum" which was written in his father's neat scrawl on the left of the piece of parchment he was holding. Having grown tired of sitting around and worrying in his dorm room and the common room, Harry had gone down to the dungeons to spend some time with Severus only to find the man updating his records of exactly what he had and how much of it there was in his personal stores. The Gryffindor had volunteered his services and had been taking stock of what was on the lower shelves while the Potions professor did the ones which were higher up.

Harry moved onto the next section of the shelf and began to quickly count the number of filled vials which were neatly held in a rack. He jotted down the number when he was done before moving onto a grouping of jars which was directly next to it. However, upon counting the jars, a light frown creased his forehead as something occurred to him. He glanced down at his list before looking back up to the shelves. He recounted the vials and jars a few more times, each time coming back with the same number, and eventually had to admit that there was something wrong.

"Father, have you been brewing Polyjuice Potion?" Harry inquired thoughtfully as he looked at his check-list.

"What need would I have for Polyjuice Potion?" Came Severus' distracted response from above where the man was inspecting a large jar of something on one of the top shelves.

"Well someone's been brewing it; there's ten jars missing of boomslang skin and ten vials of lacewing flies."

"What?" The Potions Master demanded as he came down the steps and came to a stop at his son's side before glancing at the empty containers on the shelves and then looking at the check-list.

"They've taken an awful lot." The teenager mused thoughtfully, staring at the shelves before turning his head to look at Severus. "Why would anyone need that much Polyjuice Potion?"

Before his father could reply, the slightly frantic call of Severus' name caught both their attention, drawing their eyes from each other to the entrance into the store room just in time for them to see Igor Karkaroff stride in, his right hand holding his left forearm. The foreign man obviously hadn't counted on Harry being there though because he looked rather startled by the young man's presence before just looking annoyed and pulling his left arm back a little. "Severus," Karkaroff said stiffly, his eyes flickering from Harry to the other man. "I need to speak to you now."

Harry glared up at the Durmstrang headmaster; he did not like the man in any way. He knew only too well that the only reason Karkaroff had escaped a longer term in Azkaban was because he had provided the names of other Death Eaters, including trying to drag Lucius and Severus into more trouble, just to save his own skin. And the fact that the man had continued to practically haunt Severus for the entire time he had been at Hogwarts, he did not like the idea of leaving the two of them alone in such an enclosed space as well. Unfortunately, when he received the ordering look from his father, Harry knew that Severus was going to humour Karkaroff and he wasn't going to be allowed to stay around and hear it. So, with a reluctant sigh and one last glare in Karkaroff's direction, the dark haired teenager left the store room without word.

However, he didn't go very far, instead coming to a stop just around the next corner in order to await Karkaroff. Harry was smart enough to know that Karkaroff wasn't trying to re-recruit Severus. After all, the man had told on a lot of Death Eaters and if they ever reformed, they weren't going to be too happy with him. There was the very likely possibility of the foreign man dragging Severus down with him though and there was no way Harry was going to let that happen and so he would put a stop to it right at that moment. He would confront Karkaroff and tell him to stop harassing Severus or else...Or else...Well, he wasn't sure what "or else" was at that moment but he was hoping he wouldn't have to actually define it when the time came.

In all, Harry had to wait about five minutes before the man he was waiting for came around the corner, straight towards him. Putting on his best serious/annoyed expression, Harry stepped in Karkaroff's path, effectively stopping him. Karkaroff merely sneered down at him though, like the thought of being stopped by the Gryffindor was amusing. "Move aside boy."

Ignoring that, Harry simply said what he wanted to say. "Stay away from my father."

That only made Karkaroff's sneer widen. "And what makes you think I'm going to listen to a weak child like you? Even if you could do something to me, you wouldn't, would you?"

"I would if I had to." Harry answered

Karkaroff seemed to study him for a second before smirking cruelly. "No, you wouldn't." He sneered before simply moving around Harry and continuing on his way.

Harry stood in his one place until the sound of the man's footsteps were gone before he started forward, intending to head back to the potions store room to continue to help his father.

2nd April 1995: Midday

There were times that Harry genuinely doubted High Priest Sephiran's claims that he was one who was truly blessed by the Goddess. Those times were usually when he was woken from sleep in the middle of night due to visions and when he suffered the feeling of nausea and fatigue after experiencing a vision while he was awake. Of course, there were also the times such as the one he was in at the moment, when visions came on with little warning at completely the wrong moment.

Harry had been completely minding his own business, walking from Divination to the Great Hall for lunch, when he had passed by Professor Moody. So far, he was pleased with the lack of contact he had with the strange man; in class he only spoke when spoken to and outside of class he only ever saw the man in passing. Today though, the passing-by-without-looking-talking-or-communicating-in-any-other-way plan had failed though. Somehow, they had passed by just a little too close to each other and, upon their hands accidently brushing against the other, the Gryffindor's vision had clouded and he had been swept away in a vision.

What Harry had seen made little sense to him. Nothing he had seen had been particularly clear nor lasted long enough to give him a good idea of what it could possibly be in relation to. He had seen images of Professor Moody standing over a bubbling cauldron, of the man walking in the Forbidden Forest at night, of the man burning a letter, of the man locking a large trunk in the DADA teacher's rooms and the final image, which had lasted no more than a second, was of another man completely different from Professor Moody, one that Harry thought he recognised but couldn't remember where from.

It was with a shuddered gasp that Harry came back to himself in a rush as the images faded and reality returned. He found himself in the exact same position he had last been aware of, standing beside Professor Moody, their hands lightly touching. Green eyes flickered up to the face of the ex-Auror and he felt his pulse quicken.

"You all right Snape?" Moody inquired gruffly, an almost suspicious quality in his voice.

For a few seconds Harry was powerless to do anything but blink mutely at the professor until, finally, he managed to pull himself back to the present situation. He stepped back quickly, breaking the slight contact he had with the man, and averted his gaze so that he was staring off down to the left of the corridor. "I'm fine Sir, just suffered a bit of a dizzy spell is all." He lied as he turned to go but had to stop when his arm was caught in Moody's grip.

This was bad! Moody was suspicious of him. All the professors knew about his occasional vision so there was an all too real possibility that the man wasn't fooled. And if Harry's gut-feeling was right and he wasn't to be trusted, he might see fit to "silence" him, in a manner of speaking. Of course, there was no real proof to back any of this up with except how Harry felt but that was enough for him and it was better to be safe than sorry. He needed an excuse to get away and he needed it very quickly.

And it was then by act of Fate or incredibly good luck, that Harry caught sight of Johnathan walking up ahead on his own, no doubt heading to the Great Hall for lunch as Harry had previously been doing. It served as a small relief and an opportunity which the Gryffindor was not going to pass up.

"John!" Harry called down the corridor. It effectively caught the attention of younger brother, who turned his head to look and then dutifully stopped walking, waiting for Harry to catch him up. Moody's grip had gone from his arm and Harry knew that he was out of trouble, for that moment at least. "Good day Professor." He wished politely before dashing away from the man, over to boy several feet away from him.

"Everything all right?" John asked as Harry drew in closer, his brown eyes flickering from his older brother to the DADA professor who had turned and started to walk away from them.

"Is now." Harry said with a light pant as he slowed to a stop.

"What did he want?"

"Nothing in particular." Harry brushed off the question easily before considering something and then speaking again. "What do you think of Professor Moody?" He'd already asked Draco, Fred and George earlier on in the Year, when his suspicions had first started. Getting John's opinion might prove to be helpful as it was doubtful that the Potter would hold a grudge against the man for the lesson on the Unforgivables which had upset Harry so.

"He's all right." John shrugged. "There are worse teachers but there are better teachers too. Dad's always spoken highly of him whenever they worked together though. Said he was a man who liked his job and did it well. What is it about him exactly that has you on edge?" Harry looked at him surprise at that. "It's been a well known fact to everyone that you aren't comfortable around him since the whole trouble at the beginning of the school year." John revealed easily. "So? What is it you don't like about him?"

"I dunno, there's just something about that man..." Harry murmured. "I can't trust him; even if everyone else does, I just can't do it."

"Is he up to something?"

"That thought did cross my mind." The older of the pair admitted. "But I haven't got any actual evidence to suggest that he's doing anything, just strange little occurrences which could be explained away. Has your dad ever mentioned him having any strange habits?"

"Such as?"

"He does this weird thing with his tongue all the time...You haven't noticed?"

"Not especially." John said with a shrug to which Harry felt like screaming; how could he be the only one noticing the completely abnormal and unexplainable tongue thing?

Instead of screaming though, Harry simply sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose there is always the chance that this is just pure paranoia on my part."

A short silence over took them both them as Harry finished what he was saying and John seemed to consider something. Finally, the youngest male Potter spoke what was on his mind: "You don't think that it is just paranoia though, do you?"

Harry sighed lightly at that. "No, I don't."

27th May 1995: Early Morning

He was outside, yet He was warm. The air around Him was a lovely temperature despite it being the middle of the night. Or was it? The sky was very over-cast despite the warm weather so maybe it was day but just very gloomy. It looked as though a storm might be coming...

Looking around Himself, it didn't take long to realise where He was and He felt an definite chill run through him at the sight. A graveyard. He was back, yet again, in a graveyard, THE graveyard! It was the same dream He'd been having since the night after the Yule Ball! Everything was the same as the times before. There was still no sign as to what could there possibly be to see in the graveyard and there was still no one around. So, once more, He started forward as He had the times before, looking around all the while, keeping His eyes open for anything.

When He stopped again, He was standing in front of the large tomb stone/memorial statue. The gloom once again made it look awfully creepy and there was still definitely something about it. He wasted no time in beginning his search for what He was supposed to be seeing, knowing this time what would if He took too long in his search. This time, He found the engraved writing rather quickly and immediately focused all his concentration onto trying to read it. No matter how hard He stared though, He couldn't see what the writing said. It seemed to blur itself, making it impossible for Him to make out what it was that was written.

Time seemed to pass slowly until He sensed a presence right beside Him. He flinched away quickly and looked to see that Cedric Diggory was standing beside him, dressed in the uniform he wore for the Triwizard Tournament tasks. He stared at the older boy in confusion. Why was Cedric here suddenly?

He wasn't able to ponder that question for long before the sound of footsteps reached Him. Turning, He rose to His feet at the same time, intending to see who it was that was coming closer this time. As He turned, He caught sight of the familiar object which was the Triwizard Cup, left carelessly on the ground a few feet away. Finally looking to see who it was coming, He discovered that the person, whoever it was, was as fuzzy as the writing had been and it was impossible to make them out. That wasn't stopping Cedric from reacting though.

"Who's there? Who are you?" The Hufflepuff demanded as he pulled out his wand and started forward.

"Kill the spare." The poisonous order was hissed in the voice of Voldemort.

"Avada Kedavra!"

He screamed out a horrified cry as the green light shot out of the gloom and headed straight towards the Hufflepuff. One second, Cedric had been standing, tall and proud. Then, in the blink of an eye, the green had reached him, engulfed him and sent him sprawled out on the ground, eyes lifeless, skin pale.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Harry! Harry, wake up!"

Harry gave a sobbed cry as his eyes flew open and he woke completely. He didn't sit up, instead turning onto his side and burying his face in his pillow, his arms coming up to hold onto the pouch of feathers. Somewhere in his mind, he acknowledged the hand which was rubbing his arm and the soothing voice which was murmuring to him, but none of it matter very much to him.

What he had just seen...It couldn't be true! It just couldn't be! Cedric...He was going to die...Cedric was going to die! At the end of the tournament, during the Final Task, the Hufflepuff was going to die! Harry knew it, he just knew it! He could feel it, deep inside. He had no proof to suggest that his vision would come to pass at the end of the tournament other than his gut feeling.

But now he knew, what could he do? How could he stop that horrible future from becoming true...

The sound of the dorm room's door opening came then before the sound of a rather breathless George came: "Someone's gone to get McGonagall and a prefect volunteered to go and get Snape."

"Good, good." The voice of Fred came directly beside him; that was obviously the one who was sitting on the bed beside Harry and trying to comfort him.

"Has he woken up?"

"Yeah, he woke up a little bit after you all left."

"Has he said anything?"

A pause before Fred answered: "No; just turned onto his side and started crying. I don't think we should try and do anything until at least one of the professors are here, we don't know what's wrong after all."

Another pause as the mattress dipped with the weight of another person. "What do you think he saw to make him scream like that?" George's voice wondered as a hand carded though Harry's hair gently.

"I'm not sure I want to know." Was the only reply Fred gave.

28th May 1995: Midday

Stress.

Nothing was going to go wrong during the Final Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry wasn't going to suddenly find himself in a graveyard. Cedric wasn't going to die. His dreams had not been visions. They had been caused by stress.

At least, that was the case if you were going to believe the majority of the professors of Hogwarts.

In the end about five different professors had been alerted by various students as to Harry's state the night before but it had naturally been Severus who had comforted him and taken him back down to the dungeons, shoving a Dreamless Sleep potion down his son's throat the minute they were settled comfortably in bed together. Then, in the morning when Harry had woken up, had been quizzed in detail by the Potions Master, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey as to what had happened. And Harry had told them. He'd told them everything. Every last little detail he had dreamt of, hoping that this would finally convince them all that the tournament needed to be cancelled. That hadn't happened though.

All were disbelieving. They didn't come right out and call him a liar or anything of the such, but they were skeptical about his feelings about it. They had all agreed that Harry was too caught up in the situation for them to be able to take his dream for a true warning. All of them held the opinion that it was merely a product of stress. It was not only frustrating, it was frightening because it meant nothing was going to be done to prevent it from happening. The Final Task was going to come, his vision would come true and Cedric would die.

Harry's friends believed him completely. Fred and George hadn't even questioned the possibility, immediately thinking the adults manic for ignoring such a blatant warning. Draco had been a firm support, allowing Harry to talk things through, make sense of everything and even rant and cry over the fact that nothing was being done to stop such a horrible future. Hermione had instantly got to work in the library, trying to search for any evidence that perhaps the dream was symbolic rather then something to be taken literally in order to reassure Harry and take off some of the stress. Violet hadn't even been concerned with the vision, more worried about the fact that Harry had reacted to the dream so badly. John appeared to be much the same as his younger sister though on not such an obvious level. And Ron? Well, Ron seemed a little out of his depth in such a situation and seemed limited to saying "thing will turn out all right" or words to that effect.

Unfortunately, such support meant very little when there was the ever constant knowledge that there was nothing stopping the vision from coming true. Harry was not going to be deterred though. As long as he was still a part of the Triwizard Tournament, as long as he was able to, he would save Cedric's life.

He would do anything he could to stop that awful future.

1st June 1995: Midday

"Cedric!" Harry called to the figure of the older teenager who was crossing a corridor intersection straight ahead of him.

This was the first time since Harry's dream that he had seen the Hufflepuff and he wasn't going to let the chance to put his plan into action escape him. His plan was simple: feel out how Cedric actually felt about the tournament and then try and talk him out of competing. It wasn't a fool-proof plan and, if he was honest, he didn't have much faith that it was going to work, but it was the best he had managed to come up with so far.

Cedric turned to look in Harry's direction at the call of his name and paused upon seeing the Gryffindor. Harry ran up to him quickly, not wanting to keep the young man waiting, and greeted him with a somewhat breathless smile. "Hi, haven't seen you around lately."

"I could say the same thing to you." Cedric returned with his own smile. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know, can't complain." Harry replied with a grin as they began to walk forward once again.

"And, uh, how's Malfoy?" The Hufflepuff asked, seemingly only to be polite and even then he failed at faking it properly.

"He's all right. And how's your..." Harry paused for a moment unsurely. "How's, erm, Cho, is it?"

"Yeah, she's, uh, she's good." Cedric assured.

"Good." The younger teenager said with a nod of his head before they both lapsed into a slightly heavy silence. It lasted a few seconds before Harry felt the need to get around to what he had originally intended this encounter to be about. "So, only a few more weeks until the final task." He sighed casually as they strolled along side by side.

"Yeah." Cedric agreed with a nod of his head. "I'll be thankful for it all to be over to tell the truth. It hasn't been what I expected. How about you? Looking forward for it to end?"

"I never wanted to enter in the first place so the sooner all this is over, the better as far as I'm concerned." The Gryffindor paused momentarily before speaking again. "What do you reckon your chances of winning are?" He asked innocently.

"Hmm, it's hard to judge. I definitely think Krum is a bigger threat than Delacour but the question is how much of a threat is he?"

"Am I not a threat then?"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean..." Cedric began to quickly say but stopped when he turned to Harry and saw the younger teenager was grinning up at him, clearly only teasing. He gave a small laugh before shaking his head slightly and looking back ahead of himself.

Harry chuckled lightly at the young man's behaviour before growing serious again. He flickered his gaze in the Hufflepuff's direction. "Cedric, how important is it to you to win?"

"Well, it depends what you mean by important. I suppose there's no real reason for me to win but I want to, for my parents and my friends; to make them proud of me."

"I'm sure they're already proud of you, you've achieved so much after all."

"Yeah, but..." Cedric sighed. "I only really entered because it was expected of me, and now...I suppose to win is expected of me as well. I don't want to let everyone down so I'm going to try my hardest to win."

Harry bit back a despairing groan. Asking Cedric to throw the match or to not even take part wasn't going to be possible. The young man was obviously too intent on winning, if only for other people and it was doubtful the Hufflepuff would believe him if he told him about his visions and he didn't want to have to do that anyway; Cedric didn't need that stress on him as well.

"What about you? Surely you're not fussed about winning?" Cedric asked, pulling the Gryffindor from his thoughts.

Harry smiled lightly at that though it was mostly to stop the frown which wanted to crease his forehead. "No, I don't care about winning. I'll just be happy to make it out alive."

"Well I can help you with that. We'll stick together, all right? We'll watch each others' backs."

"Sure." Harry agreed weakly, the worry from before striking him again with full force. How was he going to protect Cedric now?

12th June 1995: Night

Harry woke with a start, his eyes flying open to the darkness which surrounded him, all light being blocked out by the closed and warded curtains around his bed. He quickly sat up, feeling for the objects he had placed behind his pillow just before he had settled to sleep: his wand; a quill; an ink jar and his vision book. When he found his wand, he cast a quick Lumos which then made finding the other objects much easier.

The dream he'd just had, it was valuable and he needed to write it down straight away so nothing was forgotten. Every little part needed to be remembered because it could all lead to Harry figuring out a way to save Cedric's life.

Quickly flicking over the pages of the book which had already been written on, Harry soon found a clean page to write on. He propped his wand up in between his knees and inked his quill before starting to write down what he had seen: a long, narrow passageway; both him and Cedric running, staying neck and neck throughout; Cedric tripping and immediately being wrapped in vines; Cedric's cries for help; Harry ripping the vines away from him and then helping him up; the both of them reaching forward towards the Triwizard Cup together; touching it at the same time; the sensation of using a Portkey; finding himself in a graveyard, THE graveyard.

Harry looked over what he had written and gave a small sigh. Now he knew exactly what was going to happen. Now he could plan effectively and for the first time, he felt some hope and confidence that he would be able to save Cedric's life.

19th June 1995: Morning

Harry sighed lightly as he tore a neat rip in the letter he had just recieved from James and Lily, once again inviting him to stay with them at some point over the appraoching summer holidays. It was the fifth one he had recieved that week and it was extra stress he just really didn't need. So much time had passed since he had last heard anything significant from his birth parents, a part of him had hoped they had given not. That obviously wasn't the case now, no doubt they had thought that giving him some space for a little while would make him more open to their advances...

"We did it." Fred's voice said abruptly, cutting into Harry's thoughts, as a copy of the Daily Prophet suddenly landed right in front of him, startling him slightly.

From where he sat at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast alone as it was still rather early in the morning, Harry glanced up to see the grinning faces of his two best friends. "Did what?"

"Look at the paper and see." George prompted excitedly as he and his twin bother sat down.

Harry gave them a slightly bewildered look before dutifully looking down and letting his gaze wander over the newspaper. The moment he read the headline his eyebrows shot up to his hair-line and the more he read the more surprise welled up inside him. After a few minutes, he looked back to the twins and shook his head slightly in astonishment.

"How?" Was all he could manage to get out.

"We know something Rita Skeeter would rather keep private." Fred grinned maliciously.

"And we bargained not to tell a soul if she wrote a retraction to her previous articles concerning you and your family as well as making her promise not to write anymore tripe about you." George explained.

Once again Harry found himself rather lost for words and his jaw worked uselessly for a few moments before a huge smile broke out on his face. "You're both brilliant, you know that? Completely and utterly fantastic." He gushed.

"Think nothing of it." Fred insisted easily as he began to gather his breakfast on his plate.

"We're only glad we were of help." George assured as he copied his twin.

"So what was it you found out about her?" Harry asked eagerly as he leaned closer to the two red-heads.

"Uh, uh, uh." Fred said with a shake of his head. "We're men of our word Harry."

"We promised not to tell a soul and we're sticking to that." George agreed.

"Will say this though," Fred said with another grin.

"Rita Skeeter won't be bugging," George continued, emphasising that one word, "anyone else for quite some time."

19th June 1995: Afternoon

"High Priest?" Harry said quickly as his teacher began to pack up his books. They had just completed their lesson for that week and the Elvish man was preparing to go. Harry couldn't let him though, not until he had asked what he needed to ask.

"Yes Haryon?" Sephiran answered, pausing in his packing to look at his student.

"I was wondering...If I could ask you something?"

"Of course, that is what I'm here for." The man said with a kind smile as he gracefully lowered himself into his seat in front of Harry again.

"I just...I wanted to know..." Harry stammered, unsure how best to phrase his question. "What I mean is..." He hesitated, glancing up to his teacher for a moment before looking away awkwardly again. "Is there any...Punishment, for not helping those who are in need and asking for help in a dangerous situation?"

"Well, I'm not sure if there is a punishment per say. Such a thing would be frowned upon but there are always exceptions to the rules depending on the circumstances..." Sephiran began to answer.

"What if by not saving someone from danger, you're actually saving their life?" Harry interrupted quickly.

The Elvish man frowned lightly in confusion. "I don't see how that could be a possible situation." He paused and studied the dark haired teenager closely for a moment. "Haryon, why are you asking me this?"

"I've been having dreams." Harry admitted. "The professors, my family, they all think it's just a product of stress, of the pressure of competing in the Triwizard Tournament, but I know it's more. Something is going to happen in the Final Task and...Cedric Diggory is going to die. I've tried to talk him out of competing and there's no chance of getting the tournament cancelled. Still, I've been thinking it over and I might be able to save Cedric, but I'd have to allow him to be dragged out of the competition in order to do so."

"I see." The High Priest murmured once Harry had stopped.

"I know they're visions, it is what's going to happen." The Gryffindor whispered sadly.

"In that case Haryon, I believe you should do whatever it is that becomes necessary." Sephiran told him seriously. "I have no influence in Wizarding society so my protesting would do very little, but I can give you pardon to act as any situation demands." He stood then and came to stand in front of Harry. Then, he got down on his knees so that he was kneeling in front of his student. Gently, he reached forward and rested his hands on both of the teenager's shoulders. "I have seen darkness approaching you Haryon and although you cannot escape it, others can. I follow you into it of my own free will because I understand what I'm doing, but others who do not know...Do not let them follow you Haryon, for it will only cause you heartache."

"I'm scared High Priest." Harry admitted quietly, his eyes never straying from those of his teacher. "I've tried to warn them all but no one will believe me."

"Remember you are never alone Haryon; the Great Lady will forever stand by your side. As long as you have faith, you cannot be hurt." And with that, the Elvish man rose to his feet again just as the door to the room opened to allow Professor Dumbledore to walk in, officially drawing the lesson to an end.

The past conversation had helped to calm a part of Harry but still he was worried. When the time came, would he really be able to bring himself to abandon Cedric, even if it was to save his life?


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

24th June 1995: Early Morning

It was raining, rather heavily too. Large, heavy drops of water beat down on the windows and the darkness outside was occasionally broken by a bolt of lightning which was quickly followed by an intense crash of thunder. It occurred to Harry that even if he hadn't been sitting by a window and watching this all, he probably wouldn't have been able to sleep for all the noise the storm outside was creating.

Nervous energy had made sleep an impossible task for Harry to effectively complete. He had tried but it had been futile. After an hour of tossing and turning and not even being able to keep his eyes shut, he had given up and left his bed. For a while he had paced and then he had tried to induce a vision but that had failed just as terribly as his attempts to sleep. So, he had settled on watching the rain from the window in the common room so not to disturb his dorm mates. It wasn't a particularly soothing activity what with the storm and all but it was better than tiring himself out by being active.

The grandfather clock in the corner chimed two, the first of the loud bong sounds startling Harry into quickly turning to look over his shoulder. All the previous day he had been jumpy as well. Every little sound had him looking around himself frantically, every unexpected touch had him flinching as though he had been scolded and his hands had been constantly trembling, meaning his notes would be harder to read than usual. All because of what was going to happen that night; the final task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Harry turned back to the window, leaning his forehead against the cool glass and closing his eyes at the sensation. For months he had been dreading this day and now that it was here...Well, it was no surprise that he was too nervous/scared to sleep or rest. That evening, if he did even one thing wrong, Cedric would die and it would be his fault. He knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if that happened and so he was determined to do whatever it took to save the young man.

Opening his eyes again, Harry looked at the rain-battered window once more. Then, a sudden bolt of lightning lit the sky behind and brought into sight something which made the dark haired teenager gasp and back up too far, sending him falling off the thin window ledge.

There, on the window pane, formed with runnings of black rain, had been three simple words: Kill the Spare.

As quickly as he could, Harry straightened himself up again and got onto his feet. He looked at the window intently and wished for another bolt of lightning to come. He ended up having to wait a few moments but another light eventually did come. It brought with it no comfort though as it revealed nothing but a clear rain-streaked window. No words, no viscous, black liquid, just clear, ordinary rain.

And so that begged the question as to whether Harry had actually seen the words in the first place. Not that it really mattered as he was already familiar with the words. They were words he was determined to never hear in reality.

24th June 1995: Evening

The time had come, the moment of choice. Did he leave the Hufflepuff or did he save him?

Harry stood, breathing hard, staring down at the struggling form of Cedric Diggory who was currently being wrapped up and dragged away by dozens of vines. The young man was calling for Harry's help and almost every single part of the Gryffindor was telling him to go forward, to help the person who so obviously needed him. But then there was the rational part, the part that remembered all the dreams and all the warnings and knew that if he did help Cedric, then the young man would die.

"Please forgive me." Harry whispered, probably not loud enough to even be heard by Cedric, before turning his back on the struggling Hufflepuff and running in the opposite direction, away from the older champion.

The calls and pleas for help coming from Cedric followed him almost the entire way to the cup and when they did stop, they stopped very abruptly which did nothing to help settle Harry's guilty conscience. He forced it to the back of his mind though; it would not do to dwell on something which was ultimately for the Hufflepuff's own good.

The distance between Harry and the Triwizard Cup was gradually growing smaller and behind him he could hear the sound of the walls of the maze crashing together. He couldn't run any faster, he was pushing himself to his limit, but it seemed to be enough. When he was about a foot away from the cup, Harry took a leap, right arm stretched out in front of himself to grab the object. His fingers wrapped around the slim handle and in a second, the maze which had once been around him swirled into nothing and was replaced with the now familiar graveyard Harry had seen all too often in his dreams.

Harry landed with a harsh thud, a grunt of discomfort sounding from him as he made contact with the ground which was covered in dying grass. He looked around himself unsurely, recognising everything around him despite the fact he had never been to the graveyard in person. It was odd, how similar it was to his visions. It felt exactly the same, right down to the temperature of the atmosphere around him. But he made sure to keep at the front of his mind that this would no longer be like his vision. By preventing Cedric from joining him, he had made sure that the vision he saw wouldn't come true. Unfortunately, that meant that something else would happen, something he'd had no fore-warning about and so was therefore unprepared for it.

Slowly, Harry got up onto his feet and brushed himself off, always looking around himself, never letting his gaze wander aimlessly. Then, he started to walk forward, over to the memorial statue he knew so well. He didn't even need to reach it completely before the writing, which in his visions had remained forever elusive, became clear and he was finally able to read it. Upon reading it however, he promptly decided it would have been better if he actually hadn't read it. There was one word which seemed to stick out like a flashing light in Harry's mind, telling him everything he needed to know:

Riddle.

Harry stepped backwards, away from the memorial, quickly, exactly at the time that his scar started to ache and footsteps began to sound somewhere behind him, gradually getting louder indicating that whoever it was was getting closer. He had to get away, he needed to get back to Hogwarts. Turning, he went to dash back over to the Triwizard Cup in order to go back to the safety of his school. However, he hadn't run very far before something suddenly wrapped around his waist. Looking down, Harry saw several lengths of rope were wrapped around his midriff and gave a startled yelp when the ropes tightened and yanked him back roughly, bruising him painfully. He gave a grunt of discomfort as he was slammed against the base of the memorial statue. The ropes firmly tied themselves, effectively keeping him attached to the block of cold stone. He immediately began to struggle, even before he caught sight of Peter Pettigrew coming forward, carrying a bundle of something in his arms.

For the first time, Harry noticed a not-too-far off, large, black cauldron, filled almost to the brim with some kind of liquid/potion which had a thin layer of misty smoke rising from it. Pettigrew headed straight over to the cauldron and, upon reaching it, lifted the thing that was in his arm and dropped it into the big pot. Harry only caught a glimpse of what it was that fell into the cauldron and so couldn't be sure what it actually was. To his discomfort though, he had the distinct impression that it had looked like a small person...

Pettigrew held out a wand which Harry recognised as Voldemort's and pointed it over in the Gryffindor's direction. The teenager screwed his eyes shut in preparation of something terrible happening to him. When nothing did happen, he carefully opened his eyes again saw that a bone had appeared from somewhere and was floating towards the tip of the wand Pettigrew held. The man directed the floating bone towards the cauldron as he spoke:

"Bone of the father unwillingly given."

The bone then dropped into the cauldron with a small splash. Then, Pettigrew held up his right arm, a large knife held in his left hand alongside the wand. "Flesh of the servant willingly sacrificed." He whimpered as he brought the knife down and chopped off his own hand and most of his wrist.

Harry cringed at the sight but didn't look away, all the while struggling against the ropes which held him tight. When Pettigrew had recovered from the pain of severing his hand, he turned to the dark haired teenager and something in the man's expression caused Harry to instantly dread what was coming next. He doubled his struggles to escape but it was futile. Pettigrew came right up to him and then grabbed Harry's left arm to stop it from moving around. Harry gave a cry of protest which quickly turned into a wail of pain as the knife was dug into his arm. Even when the coolness and the sharp pain of the knife had left him, the pain continued to pulse and sting and hurt and Harry dared not to move his left arm for fear of twinging the injury.

With the tip of the knife now covered in Harry's blood, Pettigrew quickly but carefully moved back over to the cauldron and then jerked the knife over it a few times to shake free a few drops of the crimson liquid while saying: "Blood of the desired forcibly taken." The contents of the cauldron immediately reacted, bubbling and pulsing. Harry watched in no small amount of horror as Pettigrew watched with growing delight. "The Dark Lord shall rise again."

Harry was stunned into stillness at the sight ahead of him. The contents of the cauldron continued to bubble and seemingly boil and after several minutes, something began to rise from the liquid. Before long, a fully formed, completely human, very naked, Voldemort had emerged from the cauldron and gracefully headed towards Pettigrew who held a black robe ready and waiting for his master. Voldemort slipped in on easily before holding his hand out to his Death Eater.

"My wand Wormtail." He ordered in the cold, hissing voice Harry remembered all too well. Pettigrew gave a small, submissive simper before bowing and holding out the wand for Voldemort to take. The newly revived Dark Lord did so before speaking once again: "Hold out your arm."

"Master, oh thank you Master..." Pettigrew simpered as he went to hold out his bleeding right arm.

"The other arm Wormtail." Voldemort corrected before the fat man could even properly lift his arm.

Pettigrew whimpered pathetically at that and, although obviously reluctant, did do as he was told and held out his left arm. Voldemort yanked the tatty sleeve of Pettigrew's shirt up to reveal his Dark Mark before pressing the tip of his wand on to the tattoo, digging into the skin rather painfully. Pettigrew gave a small whine of pain moments before the crack of Apparation began to sound in quick succession. All around the immediate area, Death Eaters began to appear. Soon, eight Death Eaters stood in their presence, spread out in a circle around where Harry was tied and where Pettigrew and Voldemort were standing.

"Welcome my friends." Voldemort greeted them all, turning so that could address them. As he did that, Harry began to struggle against the ropes which held him against the biting cold of the memorial statue with renewed enthusiasm. "Seven years it has been and yet here you all stand before me as though it were only yesterday. I admit to being disappointed. Not one of you tried to find me."

"I-I returned." Pettigrew meekly said then, unwittingly interrupting Voldemort.

The Dark Lord glared at the fat man then and swept over to him. "Out of fear, not loyalty." He hissed angrily, leaning in close to the Pettigrew and causing the fat man to shrink back. "Still, you have proved yourself useful these past few months Wormtail."

It was then that Harry moved his left arm too much and the wound inflicted by Pettigrew rubbed roughly against the harsh ropes. He couldn't stop giving a cry of pain at the awful sensation and that, unfortunately, attracted the attention of all the Death Eaters and their Master. After recovering from the pain enough to open his eyes and lift his head, Harry's eyes met with Voldemort across the space which separated them.

"Oh Harry..." Voldemort breathed, turning to him completely and starting towards him quickly. "Once again I see you have grown all the more beautiful since the last time we were together." He reached Harry then and looked down at the teenager's injured arm. "That must be painful. I'll have it bandaged as soon as we return to my manor."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Harry yelled, struggling against the ropes with renewed strength.

"Oh, I think you will find, my dear Harry, that you have very little choice in the matter." Voldemort whispered as he brought his right hand up and went to press the pad of his thumb against the scar on Harry's forehead.

Harry closed his eyes tightly in anticipation, expecting the worst to come from Voldemort's touch. And, in a way, the worst did happen. There was no pain but instead there was intense pleasure, the sort of pleasure which spread throughout every part of your body like wild fire, pooling in your groin and filling you with a desperate need for climax. Mercifully, the man didn't seem to particularly want to torture Harry, (at that point) and so allowed the dark haired boy relief quickly. Mere seconds after the skin on skin contact began, Harry gave a choked sob as an intense orgasm rippled through him.

"Astounding what a few drops of your blood will do, isn't it darling?" Voldemort asked gently but Harry could only give a sob and bow his head. He felt so dirty, so used, he felt like he had betrayed Draco. He just wanted to curl away somewhere and die. "Now, let's get you free from those bonds, hmm?" The man said in a manner which was so calm and caring that it was hard to believe this was the same man who had basically just raped him.

Slowly, Harry felt the ropes surrounding him loosen and then slip away, allowing him to fall forward limply, being saved from slumping to the ground awkwardly by the arms of the Dark Lord. It was that sensation which prompted Harry to move. With an angry cry, he pushed Voldemort away from himself, staggering backwards awkwardly and pulling out his wand as he moved. He managed to pull it free from his tournament robes finally and then stopped, pointing he length of wood straight towards Voldemort with a steady grip which betrayed the panic and fear he felt inside.

"Go ahead Harry." Voldemort invited him with open arms as the Gryffindor continued to aim his wand without further action. "Go ahead and kill me." Harry stared at him warily for several seconds, Voldemort eventually giving a bark of laughter and shaking his head. "I'm unarmed." He declared as though that wasn't obvious. "There really would be no great effort involved. Just two simple words which I know you know off by heart by now."

Harry stared at the evil man in front of him and felt his whole body tremble. It would be so easy to just say the words, bring forward the horrible green light and wipe the monster off of the face of the planet. But that would be breaking his vow of pacifism in the most awful way possible. Yes, Voldemort was evil, yes, Voldemort deserved to die, but who was Harry to take that life away from him? Who was he to play as the Goddess and decide who was to live and who wasn't? And, truthfully, could he really bring himself to do it? To take another's life. To watch those eyes become dull with death.

With a sob, Harry shook his head and took a step backwards, dropping his wand as he did and bringing his hands up to cover his mouth. He closed his eyes and bowed his head to block out the sight of Voldemort and the Death Eaters and continued to back further away. "No..." He breathed through his tears."No, I can't do it. All life, even yours, is precious, and I cannot take it from you."

A small smirk came from Voldemort at that confession. "Of course you can't." The man said in a tone which sounded so understanding. Harry opened his eyes and lifted his gaze to look at the Dark Lord again. The look on the man's face was indescribable and gave Harry the sinking feeling that something terrible was going to happen, most probably to himself. "However, just because you passed that one test, doesn't mean you have escaped all punishment."

Punishment?

"Did you really think I was going to let all the years of disobedience go by without comment Harry?" Voldemort asked with a softness which was actually rather menacing. "Quirrel, the Chamber of Secrets; oh yes my Harry, you have a lot of things to make up for." He paused then and gave Harry a very brief smile before his face became a perfect picture of cruel humour. "Wormtail?"

"Yes Master?" The fat man said, coming up to stand just behind Voldemort.

"You will be the one to punish Harry by way of the Cruciatus."

"M-master?" Pettigrew stammered unsurely.

"You are capable of that, aren't you?" Voldemort sneered.

"O-of course Master."

"Then we shall begin. Cast it."

"Crucio."

The pain exploded inside Harry in an instant and an agonised scream ripped itself out of his throat. His knees buckled and sent him crashing to the ground where he curled up on his side and suffered. He hadn't felt such intense pain since this entire nightmare had begun that Hallowe'en when he was nine.

After a few moments of the torture, the spell was ended and Harry's muscles immediately relaxed completely, like they were no longer there or had at least melted. He panted harshly, trying to regain the breath that had left him through his screams of pain. His body ached everywhere and he felt unable to move so he just lay there, wishing more than anything to just disappear but knowing that wasn't going to happen.

However, no sooner as he had started to recover than Voldemort had given the order again and the Cruciatus was put back on him. Then, in a few minutes, it was taken off again. That process went on for several minutes before, finally, just when Harry was sure he wouldn't be able to take anymore, Voldemort spoke the final order, getting Pettigrew to stop once and for all.

Harry breathed in haggardly, his throat raw from his screams which had turned into whines towards the end. His eyes were shut though no longer tightly clenched, so he heard rather than saw someone come to kneel by him. A low moan of pain left Harry as his body was shifted against a firm chest and strong arms wrapped around him protectively. Long fingers began to run through his hair which had loosened from its braid so that several thin tendrils hung around the young man. Harry knew that the arms around him and the hand caressing his hair both belonged to Voldemort but he was powerless to pull away or stop them or even demand to be released. So he just lay there pathetically, prayer upon prayer running through his mind, begging to be saved, begging for an opportunity to save himself.

"You did that so well my love." Voldemort's whispered to him gently as dry lips brushed against his hair line. "You've made me so proud. You won't have to suffer much longer, you'll have a potion when we get back to my manor." The lips left Harry then and he felt the man he was slumped against straighten up. "Pettigrew."

"Yes Master?" The disgusting man simpered.

"Step forward." Voldemort commanded. Pettigrew did as he was told, stepping up until there was only about a foot of distance separating him from the Dark Lord. "My wand." Voldemort ordered and was instantly handed his wand. "Do you think you have been completely loyal to me Wormtail?"

"Master?" Pettigrew said by way of a question, obviously unsure as to what the Dark Lord was talking about.

"Have you never strayed from me? Have you always obeyed me? Have you ever done something that I would not approve of?" Voldemort asked as he adjusted his hold on Harry so that he could gently ease them both onto their feet, supporting the dark haired teenager more than the boy was standing on his own.

"I have always remained loyal and obedient Master." Pettigrew assured.

"Oh, really?" Voldemort asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tell me then Wormtail, do you remember the time, many years ago, when I specifically told all Death Eaters that Haryon was to be harmed in no way at all?"

"Yes Master, of course."

"Then would you care to explain what the events of last year were about? I believe you made several attempts on Haryon's life, did you not?" Voldemort's tone was rapidly becoming very dangerous. Pettigrew instantly began to cower, obviously aware of what his master was referring to. "Trapping him in a room with a werewolf, attempting to cast the Killing curse on him, physically attacking him; do you deny you did all this?"

"I thought you were gone forever My Lord, I was trying to avenge..." Pettigrew tried to explain.

"That is irrelevant!" Voldemort hissed angrily. "You tried to take Haryon's life and for that, you must be punished." Harry watched with wide eyes as, just as Pettigrew barely got a sobbed "no" out, Voldemort raised his wand and spat out a harsh: "Avada Kedavra."

Harry gasped in horror as the green light hit Pettigrew and the man slumped backwards lifelessly. Seconds later, Pettigrew stood up, or at least a Pettigrew stood up because although the body remained laying lifelessly on the ground, a second Pettigrew had come out from the body, looking completely solid. It occurred to Harry that it was like the time he had seen Narcissa in his father's living room a few months after she had been killed by Voldemort. And that Christmas at Malfoy Manor, when he had met Voldemort for the first time. Glancing around himself quickly, Harry noticed that no one else seemed to be seeing the moving Pettigrew. Only he could see it then...Why was that?

Looking at the standing Pettigrew again, he was more than a little surprised to find the man staring straight at him. For several seconds, they merely stared at each other before Pettigrew's face turned sad and he gave a bow. Harry felt a lump form in his throat as he got the very definite sense of regret and remorse. Pettigrew was sorry. For everything the man had done, he was sorry and he was trying to apologise. Those small, black eyes moved up to look back to Harry and without even thinking about it, Harry gave a small nod, confirming that for everything the man had done to him at least, he was forgiven. A look of relief crossed the fat man's face before his figure slowly faded away, leaving only the dead body as evidence that the man named Peter Pettigrew had ever existed.

Harry gave a small weep then, finally alerted Voldemort to him once again. "Harry? What is it? What's wrong?" The man asked gently as he brought a hand up to cup the side of the dark haired teenager's face.

Harry gave an angry, sobbed cry and yanked himself away from the evil man. His body, still aching terribly from the Cruciatuses he had suffered, protested greatly against the sudden, defined movement and fought to sap the energy from him. Harry kept strong though and glared up hatefully at Voldemort as he staggered backwards. "How could you do that!" Harry demanded as he struggled to keep himself up on his feet. His breathing was heavy from the effort and he was slightly stooped but he was succeeding in keeping somewhat steady.

"He hurt you Harry, and for that he had to be punished." Voldemort replied calmly.

"But you ordered him to cast the Cruciatus on me!" The Gryffindor cried. "How is that any different from him trying to hurt me on his own initiative when he thought he was avenging you! How could you have done that? How? And with so little feeling! To take a life like that...How can you...?" He trailed off weekly, suddenly feeling rather dizzy. Losing his balance slightly, he stumbled backwards, catching himself on the memorial statue so that he didn't fall to his knees again.

"It has been a trying day for you Harry," Voldemort's voice came, thankfully sounding as though the man hadn't moved any closer to Harry again. "So I will ignore that little out-burst. It will not happen again though." He ordered sternly before a pause. Then, when the Dark Lord spoke again, it was obviously not to Harry but to the Death Eaters. The Gryffindor tuned it out though, not wanting to acknowledge anything.

He'd seen someone die...Dear Merlin, he'd actually seen a life being stolen and the spirit leave...Pettigrew had been sorry; he hadn't wanted to do the things he had but he had been scared. And who could blame him? Standing up to the Dark Lord was not the sort of thing many people could do. Of course, some people, such as Harry, weren't really given much of a choice on the matter.

But what now? How was he going to get away? Because he was not going to go with Voldemort! He'd sooner take his own life than give it to that poisonous snake! That really was a last resort though. There had to be a better way of escaping, especially as Voldemort seemed rather preoccupied with talking to the Death Eaters at that moment. What Harry needed was the Triwizard Cup to take him back to Hogwarts, but it was several metres away from him and there was no way he would be able to run that far without being noticed and then being stopped...

What about his wand though? That was only an arm's length away from him and then he could summon the cup over to himself. Then, he could catch it and go home, taking Pettigrew with him. No matter what the fat man had done, he repented at the very last moment and for that he at least deserved a funeral and it was doubtful he'd get one if he left the body behind. The only question which had to be answered now was whether Harry would be able to make it the distance over to the dead man before being stopped. Though that was a question that really had no need to be asked because no matter the answer, it was what Harry was going to have to do; there was nothing else he could do.

Lifting his head, Harry saw that Voldemort was still over by the cluster of Death Eaters and half of them had their backs to him which was handy. Hopefully, the others who were facing his direction and were able to spot him would be too involved in the conversation to notice. Still, just to be on the safe side, he would move slowly and carefully; no sudden movements.

He slowly left the support of the memorial and started towards where his wand was laying on the thin grass. Not once did he allow his eyes to flicker off of the adults dressed in black, even as he stooped down and reached for his wand. His muscles screamed in protest, still suffering from the torture he had endured, but he bit back the stiff pain and kept moving forwards, kept reaching for the wand. Even when he had grabbed his wand, he didn't allow himself a second to rest or to allow his aches to fade. In fact, he pushed himself harder. He forced his back to straighten, he lifted his arm and pointed his wand towards the Triwizard Cup. For a moment, he allowed himself to prepare before opening his mouth; this was it...

"Accio Triwizard Cup!"

Even as the words left Harry's mouth he was moving forwards, his stiff and aching legs pushing him on, taking him closer to Pettigrew and the Triwizard Cup which had risen and was now flying towards him. He heard the cries of protest from Voldemort, the order for the other Death Eaters to stop him, the castings of several 'Stupefies' and the several shots of red light speeding towards him. His instincts screamed at him to stop, to cower, to bolt in the other direction, but he resisted and carried on forward, never stopping, not daring to stop.

Harry fell to his knees when he reached the body of Pettigrew and he fisted the material of the man's shirt in the hand which still held his wand while he reached out with his left, in preparation of catching the summoned Triwizard Cup. He lifted his eyes, looking up through under his eye-lashes, and saw Voldemort rushing towards him. The man wasn't moving fast enough though and, in the blink of an eye, Harry felt the cup collide with his hand and then he knew he was gone as the tugging sensation on his navel came. Relief washed through him and he closed his eyes as everything became rather fuzzy.

When he felt himself land, his ears were filled with the sound of people screaming cheers, clapping and generally celebrating, no doubt because of his return. However, for Harry, the sound only lasted a few moments before a ringing began to drown out the actual sounds. Consciousness began to fade away from him and he felt himself falling. He tried to hold onto reality but it seemed intent on leaving him and the last thing he was properly aware of was the impact of the ground as he slumped over on his side.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

25th June 1995: Early Morning

Harry gave a light groan as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position in the Infirmary bed he had woken up in. No light came in through the windows so it was obviously either very late or very early and, on first look, he appeared to be the only one present in the area. However, upon putting on his glasses and turning his head to the side, he had spotted the sight of Draco laying on the bed next to him which was the reason he was currently causing himself a huge amount of pain in trying to get out of his own bed.

The pain was no doubt a lingering result of the Cruciatus curses that he had suffered and Harry idly wondered why he hadn't been given a potion for it. After all, he'd been given potions when he was unconscious before. It mattered very little though as there was nothing he could do about it. Instead, he just grit his teeth against the bone-aching sensation as he moved his legs over the side of the bed in order to get onto his feet. Once that was done, he paused for a moment, supporting himself with one arm stretched out against the wall the head of his bed was pushed up against.

Carefully, Harry slowly left the support of the wall and hobbled forward, each small movement sending an astounding amount of pain washing through his entire being; he was pretty sure that even his hair hurt. He practically collapsed against Draco's bed when he reached it, leaning on it heavily with both of his arms which shook from the effort of supporting his weight. But he had done it and now he was beside his mate and he could check that the blonde was all right. There didn't seem to actually be anything wrong with the Slytherin. If anything, it just looked as though he was asleep. Harry reached for the blonde's shoulder and tried giving him a shake to see if he'd wake up but after a couple of attempts he had to admit that Draco wasn't going to regain consciousness. That, again, asked the question of what was wrong with the Luna Veela.

The sound of the Infirmary doors opening drew Harry's attention away from Draco and he lifted his head to see Madam Pomfrey was gently guiding the door shut with her back to him. For a few seconds there was silence as the woman got on with doing that and Harry simply watched her. Then, when the medi-witch turned and finally caught sight of Harry, the silence was broken by a rather loud exclamation of: "What in Merlin's name are you doing out of bed!" She hurried over to him and began to gently, but firmly, usher him away from Draco's bedside, back over to his own bed.

"I just wanted to check on Draco." Harry said innocently as he did as he was told and moved back over to his bed, sitting on it and shifting his legs up on it as soon as he could. "What is it that happened to him?"

"We had to stun him because he wouldn't calm down and was making it impossible for me to tend to you." Madam Pomfrey explained as she settled the bed sheets over Harry once again, tucking them in around his waist securely. "Not that there was a lot I could do for you while you were unconscious. Clean and bandage your arm was really all that could be done until you woke. And now Mr Snape, that you have woken, you have potions to take and questions to answer. I'll be back in a moment; do not move." She ordered sternly before turning and swiftly walking out of the Infirmary.

Harry did what he was told and so just sat in the bed and stared across at the dark wall in front of him. Luckily, it wasn't too long before Madam Pomfrey returned, a tray of potions in her hands, the heels of her shoes clicking on the floor as she moved over to him again. "Where's my father?" He asked her when she was close enough to hear him.

"He was doing himself no good and was also getting in my way so I locked him out of here." The woman told him simply as she set the tray down and picked up one of the bottles before uncorking the top. "As far as I know, Mr Malfoy took him back down to the dungeons. I would say he was asleep but knowing that man he's no doubt brooding by the fire. Now, open your mouth and take this." She ordered as she held out a table-spoon which she had poured a dose of the potion out in.

"What is it?" Harry asked warily as he looked at the cloudy violet concoction.

"It will ease the effects of the Cruciatus you suffered." She told him.

"How did you know I suffered the Cruciatus?"

"You were clearly in pain when you were doing nothing but standing beside Mr Malfoy's bed side and I do have several decades worth of experience, now do stop talking and take the potion."

Harry looked at the steadily-held spoon with an obvious reluctance before closing his eyes and opening his mouth. The spoon was pushed into his mouth seconds later and for a few seconds, there was nothing. Then, the spoon was removed and Harry's reaction was instantaneous. He gave a somewhat gargled sound before covering his mouth. After giving a muffled sound of disgust, he let his hands drop and visibly shuddered as his expression turned into a grimace of disgust. "Dear Merlin, that's completely vile!"

"You of all people should be used to taking potions Mr Snape, now tell me how long you were under the Cruciatus for?" Madam Pomfrey questioned.

"Erm...I don't know for sure. Couldn't have been longer than ten minutes though." Harry replied after a moment's thought.

"Hmm, you've escaped another dose then." The woman told him as she replaced the cork in the bottle before taking up another one and popping out the cork. "This one is for any possible infections that may have found their way into your blood stream from that wound on your arm." Harry nodded and obediently opened his mouth again. "How did it happen?"

"Pettigrew did it when he was taking some of my blood to resurrect Voldemort." Harry answered after he'd swallowed his potion.

"The Dark Lord is back then?" Pomfrey asked gently.

"Yes." The teenager murmured before pausing and then speaking again. "What's happened to Pettigrew's body?"

"He was taken away by the Ministry." She told him as she measured out a dose from the final bottle of potion. Harry took it without fuss, grimacing only slightly once he'd swallowed. Then, while Madam Pomfrey began to tidy up the bottles, she began to speak again. "Harry, when changing you into your bed clothes, we noticed something...Did the Dark Lord...Touch you..." The woman was obviously struggling to get out what she felt she needed to ask.

Harry sighed lightly and curled up on his side, his back towards the witch, before cutting her off, answering the question she was having difficulty vocalising. "Yes."

A long moment of silence passed then until Madam Pomfrey spoke again. "And how far did he go exactly?"

"I'm still a virgin if that's what you mean." Harry murmured, wishing desperately that he didn't have to have this conversation. When he sensed that the woman was about to ask something more, he spoke before she could even open her mouth. "Please Madam Pomfrey, I'd rather not talk about this right now."

"Very well Mr Snape, but it will be discussed eventually." Madam Pomfrey sighed before the sound of her turning and her footsteps began to walk away.

When there was silence again, Harry released a sigh of his own and curled further into himself, closing his eyes in the vain hope of falling back to sleep.

25th June 1995: Morning

The next time Harry woke up, it was to a loud thumping which seemed to ring throughout the hospital wing. His eyes opened and he sat up instantly, only to give a small groan and double-over as more lingering pain from the Cruciatus swept through him at the sudden, sharp movement. Almost instantly, Harry felt an arm come around his shoulders as a hand began to card through his hair which was now completely loose of its braid. It was soothing despite not ridding him of the pain and, with no small amount of effort, Harry opened his eyes to see who it was.

"Draco..." He sighed happily, leaning into his Luna Veela's arms, those grey eyes flecked with specks of silver.

"You're in pain?" Draco asked quietly, his soft petting of the long, dark hair never stopping or faltering.

"Just some lingering from the Cruciatuses I suffered yesterday. Madam Pomfrey has some potion for it, it'll be fine when she comes along." Harry assured just before a yell came through the shut doors of the Infirmary:

"Mr Malfoy, open this door now!" Came the slightly muffled voice of Madam Pomfrey.

Harry frowned lightly at that. "Did you lock the door?" He asked the Slytherin, his tone confused.

"Only so I can look after you without having to worry about keeping them all away." Draco said as though that was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. "After all, they stunned me the last time I was taking care of you, can't have that happen again."

"But Madam Pomfrey has potions." Harry whined pathetically, hoping to appeal to Draco's not-Veela-related common sense. He tilted his head back slightly in order to watch the Slytherin's expression as his mind processed what he had said and was pleased to see that common-sense appeared to be winning.

Eventually, Draco gave a sigh and took up his wand, flicking it in the direction of the Infirmary's door. Moments later, they flew open quickly and Madam Pomfrey came hurrying in, looking not the least bit happy. "Mr Malfoy, out, now." She ordered stiffly and it if wasn't for the fact she was carrying a tray of potions in her hands, she would no doubt have been gesturing angrily.

"I think not Madam Pomfrey." Draco said coolly, sneering at her from where he had Harry curled up beside him. "The only reason I let you back in is because Harry's in pain and needs potions. Just set them down there and leave again, your services are no longer required."

Harry held back a cringe at that, knowing that Madam Pomfrey must be on the very edge of her nerves with Draco talking to her in such a manner. Not wanting a huge battle to break out between then two, (because when people such as the witch and the Slytherin clashed over something, the result was bound to be explosive) Harry decided quickly that it would probably be best if he intervened quickly and got Draco to leave long enough for the medi-witch to do what needed to be done.

So, taking a gentle hold of the Luna Veela's arm to get his attention, Harry put on his best innocent expression and, knowing exactly what he was doing, spoke softly and made sure to sound rather helpless. "Draco, I'm really hungry, can you call a house-elf for me?"

"A house-elf? Oh no, don't worry darling, I'll get you something to eat." Draco predictably said as he leaned over and kissed the dark haired boy's forehead, his instincts to provide for his mate obviously winning over. "I'll be back in a moment. And you," the blonde said to Madam Pomfrey pointedly as he straightened up, "stay with him until I get back." He ordered as he turned and headed out of the Infirmary.

No one moved until the Veela had left at which point Madam Pomfrey bustled forward again, looking highly insulted. "That young man needs to be put in his place sooner rather than later." She muttered as she settled the tray of potions down on the table beside Harry's bed.

"His instincts are working over-time; he can't help it." Harry defended his mate.

Madam Pomfrey said nothing to that, simply giving Harry an un-amused look before pouring out some of the Cruciatus curse pain-relief potion onto a spoon and holding it out for him to take. The Gryffindor braced himself and took the spoon into his mouth dutifully. "I came across your godfather when I was coming back from breakfast and told him of your condition so no doubt both he and your father will be up here to see you soon."

"Neither of them were at breakfast?" Harry asked after he'd swallowed his potion, frowning in concern at that news.

"No, I shouldn't think either felt up to facing the entire school population. Mr Malfoy was on his way to see Dumbledore to check up on you; I merely saved him the journey." She explained to him as she corked the potion bottle again before taking up another bottle.

"How much do they know about what happened?" Harry asked quietly.

"They know about every single injury you obtained." The woman told him briskly, her manner answering Harry's real question as to whether the two men knew about the proof of his forced orgasm in his underwear.

It was just then that, thankfully, Madam Pomfrey was stopped from going any further by the sound of hurried footsteps heading their way. She turned her head to look and obviously deciding that it was nothing to worry about, proceeded to give Harry a dose of the second potion. When that was done, she gathered everything back on the tray, picked it up and then looked away. As she moved out of Harry's line of sight, the Gryffindor looked up just in time to see his father and godfather enter the Infirmary. He smiled at them as they drew in closer but, unsurprisingly, neither the men returned it. Instead, they remained sombre and silently hurried over to him. When they reached him, Severus wordlessly pulled Harry into his arms, almost dragging the teenager out of bed in the process, while Lucius settled on sitting at the end of the bed. Harry brought his arms around the Potions Master and gently patted his back to try and soothe his nerves.

"We're sorry we didn't take you seriously Haryon." Lucius said sincerely after a few seconds of silence.

The dark haired teenager angled his head to look at the Malfoy patriarch and gave him a reassuring smile. "You all did what you thought was right."

"But we should have believed you. You've been right about that sort of thing before. Never again will I take anything that insane ex-Auror says seriously."

Harry gave a light shrug, not seeing the point in arguing any further and choosing to not to question what his godfather had just told him. "The main thing is that no one innocent was hurt."

"You were hurt." Severus pointed out, speaking for the first time, adjusting his position so very slightly so that he could keep Harry's in his arms but could also sit more comfortably.

"Not that badly." Harry dismissed the comment easily.

"Haryon, we're aware of every injury." Lucius told him, confirming Madam Pomfrey's earlier words.

"Then you'll know that everything could've been a lot worse."

"You mean raping you wasn't enough?" The blonde man demanded.

"Lucius, please." Severus practically moaned, sounding on the verge of tears.

"I was not raped." Harry insisted firmly as he cuddled a little closer to his father in order to offer comfort. "Pettigrew cut my arm for my blood, I suffered a few rounds of the Cruciatus and then the Dark Lord..." He hesitated, trying to think of how to put it. "Touched me, and then I escaped. It really could have been a lot worse."

"I think it was bad enough." Lucius muttered but obviously sensed that neither Harry nor Severus particularly wanted to talk about it at that moment as that was the last that was said on the subject.

"Does Draco know everything?" Harry inquired.

"Yes, that's one of the reasons why he was stunned. We had to stop him from trying to track down the Dark Lord and getting himself killed." Severus explained, his voice rumbling through his chest pleasantly and making Harry burrow a little closer to his chest.

"Speaking of my son, where is he?" Lucius queried.

"He went to get me something to eat. He wasn't going to let Madam Pomfrey do her job and we needed a way to get him away for a few minutes and I knew with his instincts flying all over the place, he'd want to get me something to eat himself rather than just calling a house-elf." The Gryffindor explained before pausing for a second and then speaking again. "Have either of you seen Cedric since I got back?"

"No." Severus answered tonelessly.

"Not since I saw the look of horror on his face upon your return." Lucius elaborated. "No doubt he was ashamed with the things he had said when he returned, as he should have been."

"He didn't take me leaving him too well then." Harry sighed, more as a statement then a question.

"Well, if his comments about "that two-faced, lying cock-tease" are anything to go by then no, he was rather miffed." Lucius answered, his tone filled with distaste.

"He's just lucky that he has no more Potions lessons left; he may have found his ingredients had been tampered with." Severus grunted darkly.

"That's not very nice." Harry said lightly, tilting his head back to nuzzle Severus' neck in a gesture of reassurance

Severus said nothing to that but even if he had been planning on it, he would have been cut off by the sound of footsteps coming into the Infirmary. They all turned their heads to look and saw that it was only Draco, carrying a tray of food in both of his hands. He looked a lot calmer than he had even when he had left for the kitchen and Harry was reassured that the Luna Veela in the Slytherin was completely under control.

"Father, Severus." Draco greeted the two men calmly as he reached the bed, walking around to the side which wasn't occupied by his Head of House. The blonde young man set the tray down just next to Harry's legs before he perched on the edge himself.

"Sure you brought enough?" Harry teased his mate lightly upon seeing how much food the Slytherin had brought back.

"Well I'll be having some too as I haven't eaten yet but just eat as much as you want; you're not to force anything." Draco told him pointedly.

"Yes Sir." The dark haired teenager grinned in amusement as he reached forward and took a slice of already-buttered toast and began to eat as directed.

25th June 1995: Midday

"Check."

"What? Where?"

"There."

"Where?"

"Right there!"

Several hours had passed since Harry had woken and was reunited with his family and since then, people had gradually drifted away. Lucius had had to go to work as the Ministry would no doubt be in an uproar about what had happened during the Third Task and Severus had classes to teach so had reluctantly left. Draco had insisted on staying however and after some argument with Dumbledore, (who was on the bad side of all three Slytherins as he had been the main one to agree with Moody and insist that Harry's dreams had been nothing to worry about) had finally been allowed.

So, the Luna Veela and his mate were the only two who remained in the Infirmary at that moment and were involved in a game of Wizard chess. At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that Harry was losing but, as his just spoken "check" implied, he did, in fact, have the blonde's king in a rather dangerous position.

"How did you do that?" Draco asked with a light frown.

"Skill." Harry grinned. The blonde gave him a sceptical look. For several seconds they just stared each other down before the dark haired teenager gave in. "All right, fine, I don't know how I did it."

"Didn't think so." Draco smirked, his eyes returning to the board. "Queen to D4." He instructed casually. The Queen did as it was told and walked down the length of the board until it had reached the right square. Harry felt his hope die as the new position registered with him. "Checkmate."

For a few more seconds, the Gryffindor continued to just stare at the board before he gave a groan and slumped back against the pillow behind him. "I was so close." He moaned forlornly.

"And yet so far away." The Slytherin replied as he moved the chess set onto the bedside table so it was out of their way. "Now, as the winner of the war, I believe I am entitled to the spoils." He said with a leer, rolling so that he was supporting himself mostly on his arms on either side of his mate's upper body.

"Well, having already been thoroughly defeated, I suppose to try and fight would be futile." Harry replied, lightly grinning up at the Luna Veela above him. "I guess that leaves me at your mercy."

Draco gave a small smirk at that before he swooped down and captured Harry's lips with his own. The intimate contact sent a wonderful tingle up Harry's spine and he gave a small moan into the kiss as he brought his arms up and looped them around Draco's neck. The Veela replied to that by gently prying his mate's lips open with his tongue and then teasingly flicking the tip against the roof of Harry's mouth. The tingly, ticklish sensation that created had the Gryffindor shivering in pleasure and he snaked his own tongue out in order to stroke the Slytherin's. As he did that, he brought his hands around in between them and began to unbutton Draco's shirt.

That turned out to be the wrong thing to do as Draco was away from him in a second, breaking the kiss abruptly and almost completely pulling away. Harry was left laying on the bed panting from the intense kiss, feeling rather confused and a little hurt as well. Once he caught his breath enough to speak clearly, he spoke with a clear concern in his tone: "Is something wrong?"

Draco shook his head a little as he caught his breath before he answered. "I don't want you to think we have to do stuff so soon after..." He trailed off but it was obvious what it was he was referring to.

Harry felt his heart ache slightly at his best friend and he gave a small smile as he brought a hand up to cup a pale cheek. "Voldemort didn't do anything to me Draco."

"But when you were changed into your pyjamas..."

"All he did was touch my scar. I don't know how he did it but that one touch was enough to force it out of me. He didn't touch me anywhere else, just my forehead. I'm fine Draco." The Gryffindor assured.

"You're sure?" The Veela murmured quietly, his hands coming up to caress the sides of his mate's face.

"Positive." Harry smiled. "But I love you even more for being so concerned." He added, leaning up and placing a sweet kiss on the blonde's lips.

Draco gave a small smile in return before it faded to be replaced with a completely serious gaze. "I will kill him for what he did to you Harry." He promised firmly, meaning it completely.

"I don't doubt you will." The dark haired teenager murmured before placing another kiss on Draco's lips.

That kiss continued and was well on the way to reaching the intensity of the past one. However, before it could get too far along, the sound of the Infirmary doors opening came and Harry immediately pulled away, not wanting to be caught in such a position by anyone. He heard the low growl at the back of Draco's throat as they both turned their heads and saw that it was Cedric Diggory who had entered. Harry felt the Luna Veela tense above him and he quickly took hold of the blonde's arm so that he wouldn't be able to leap up and do something stupid.

Draco seemed to catch onto what Harry wanted as he relaxed ever so slightly. However, he still remained poised over the Gryffindor and levelled the Hufflepuff with a venomous glare. "If you're looking for Madam Pomfrey she's in her office." He sneered nastily, making it very clear that he was less than happy with Diggory's presence.

"Actually I'm here to see Harry." Cedric replied confidently, either not in the least intimidated by the Slytherin or if he was he was hiding it very well.

"Harry doesn't want to see you; leave." Draco ordered harshly.

"Is that true Harry?" Cedric checked, his eyes moving onto where Harry was laying underneath the Veela.

"I know what my mate wants so leave before I make you leave." Draco growled, his body once again tensing completely.

"Are you suddenly his keeper or something Malfoy? If he doesn't want to talk to me then let him tell me so himself." Cedric retorted.

Draco gave another growl and went to leap off off the bed. However, Harry anticipated the movement and was able to quickly push up and latch his arms around the Luna Veela's waist, effectively keeping him down and also starting the calming process. "Cedric, stop winding him up." Harry said with a light frown as he adjusted the Slytherin in his arms so he could hold him comfortably but he wouldn't be in the way of his view of the Hufflepuff. "Just say what you have to say and then go please."

Cedric seemed a little taken-aback with the bluntness of what Harry had said but he forced himself to recover quickly. "Well, I...I mostly just came to see if you're all right."

"As you can see I'm perfectly fine."

"Yeah...I'm glad."

A short silence then which was filled with Cedric shifting slightly awkwardly and Harry soothingly running his fingers through Draco's hair who seemed to have been reduced to a pile of mush under his mate's attentions. Eventually, it was Harry who broke the silence. "Was there something else?"

That seemed to catch Cedric off guard as he hesitated a moment before finally saying what he had wanted to since he had entered the Infirmary: "Did you know what was going to happen? Is that why you didn't help me?"

"What do you think?" Harry sighed, thinking that was a rather depressing question; it proved that the Hufflepuff really didn't know him at all.

"I see." The young man murmured. "Would it have been bad? If I had gone with you I mean."

"I wouldn't have left you behind if you would've helped me even the slightest bit." The Gryffindor told him in a tired voice.

"I wouldn't have helped you even a little bit?" Cedric questioned, sounding rather put out by that.

Harry frowned and gave an annoyed sigh. "You would've been killed by Pettigrew seconds after we arrived. Happy now you know?" He snapped and looked away. Another silence took over then, this one very heavy though, making the atmosphere tense. Once again, it was Harry who broke the silence as he ceased in his petting of Draco. "I think it would be best if you left now."

"But I..." The Hufflepuff tried to protest.

"I really don't think we have anything more to say to each other Diggory." Harry interrupted quickly, conveying a very clear message by using the young man's last name.

Harry wasn't looking at Cedric and so was unaware of his reaction. However, he heard the footsteps walking away and then the Infirmary door shutting and that was more than enough information for him. He gave a long sigh of regret and closed his eyes.

"I thought you did that very well." Draco murmured to him.

Harry smiled slightly ruefully at that but it didn't come anywhere close to reaching his eyes. "You would."

26th June 1995: Midday

Harry stared down at his feet glumly as he moved through the corridor outside the DADA classroom on his own, on his way to the Great Hall for lunch from his Divination class. He had been released from the Infirmary the afternoon before and had returned to lessons as normal that morning. With the exception of his closest friends, (Draco, Fred, George, Hermione, Violet) everyone in the school had been, as expected, very strange with him. No one looked at him, or if they did they quickly looked away if it appeared he was going to return their gaze, and Harry imagined it was because they had all thought ill of him when Cedric returned during the Final Trial and then immediately felt guilty upon hearing what had actually happened. At least he was being left alone though which was always something to be thankful for.

"Harry!"

Harry turned around to see Fred and George running down the corridor towards him and so stopped to allow them to catch up to him. At the speed they were going, they soon had and they were able to set off again with George's question of: "Alright there mate?"

"Yeah, not too bad I suppose." Harry sighed lightly.

"But..." Fred prompted, knowing there was something bothering the dark haired teenager.

"But..." Harry repeated, thinking of how to say what he was feeling. "I don't think things are finished yet."

"What do you mean?" George inquired with a frown of confusion.

Harry opened his mouth to answer but didn't speak when a familiar call of "Snape" came from behind. The three Gryffindors turned to see that Professor Moody was standing outside the DADA classroom which they had just passed. Upon seeing the man, Harry instantly knew why he had the feeling that something had yet to happen. He just knew what was about to happen without the aid of a vision or anything. The way he had felt around the ex-Auror for the entire school year, he knew he was about to get his explanation for it. But it wasn't going to be a safe, little chat with the man; help would be needed.

"Guys, go and get someone." Harry whispered quickly, his eyes flickering from Moody onto his two friends.

"What?" Fred asked with a light frown.

"Go and get a professor: McGonagall; Dumbledore; my father; Hell, even Flitwick will do, just go and tell them to get here quickly!" Harry all but hissed as he slowly began to back away from Fred and George, moving towards the classroom, knowing he wouldn't be allowed to linger with the DADA professor watching him as he was. As the twins began to walk away and Harry got nearer to the classroom door, Moody suddenly grabbed his shoulder rather roughly and yanked him into the classroom. Harry winced against the sensation and when he was released, continued to stagger backwards from the remaining momentum. When he finally got control of himself, he looked to see that the man now had his wand pointing straight at him. "So you've finally decided to drop the act."

"It's no longer necessary, not with the return of the Dark Lord." Moody told him.

"You work for Voldemort then, no wonder you told everyone my vision was simply stress. So who are you? Really?" Harry asked as he started to move away from the door and around the edge of the classroom. He had a plan; he'd try and get to the entrance to the office inside the DADA and then lock the door behind himself, sealing him inside and fake-Moody out for as long as it, hopefully, took for help to arrive.

"You'll find that out in due time, I've stopped taking the Polyjuice." That answered the mystery of who had been continuously stealing from Severus' stores then.

"Where's the real Alistor Moody?"

"He's...Around." Came the cryptic answer which didn't really answer anything.

"Are you going to kill me?" The Gryffindor questioned, continuing to inch himself closer to the entrance of the office.

Fake-Moody gave a small chuckle at that. "We both know that the Dark Lord has no intention to have you killed Snape."

"Oh doesn't he?" Almost there, so close, just a few more feet...

"Constrictus!" The man cast and the light hit Harry before he could even think to draw his own wand. Thick ropes now bound the Gryffindor's entire body, tight and firm enough to render his struggles to free himself completely useless. "Did you really think I hadn't figured out what you were trying to do?"

"I don't know who you are and therefore can't know how dumb you are, though the fact you kept doing that weird tongue thing was a pretty dumb thing to do." Harry muttered as he continued to wriggle and squirm. "It was worth a shot." He finally gave up then and settled for glaring up at the man who was staring down at him with a definite sense of cruel amusement. "So what now? Are we off to see Voldemort?"

"Of course. I don't share the Dark Lord's obsessive interest in you and the sooner you are out of my care the better." The fake-Moody told him as he began to move closer to Harry.

"You won't get away with this you know." The Gryffindor told him, frowning deeply as he was hauled up and slung onto the man's shoulder. "People like you never escape. You'll be tracked down eventually and then it'll be a nice cell in Azkaban for you."

"Oh really? And just how is that going to happen when no one knows who I actually am?" Came the sneered answer as the DADA professor started to walk them towards the office in the classroom.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked quickly, seeing no logic in the man's choice of direction.

"I've had this planned for a very long time; our escape will be swift and discreet."

Upon hearing that promise, Harry began to try and free himself in earnest again. It was doing him very little good though as the fake-Moody had a very strong grip on him and the teenager ended up doing little more than tiring himself out and it wasn't too long before he gave up, his hopes for being saved rapidly fading with each footstep he was carried. However, when they were inside the man's office, the sound of a door slamming open rather violently came and Harry's hope was renewed. He started his struggling once again and thanks to that fact that the fake-Moody was distracted by the sound of the door, managed to free himself of the man's grip, though he did land rather heavily on the floor which did his already fragile physical state no good at all. The thud his body made upon contacting the floor did the convenient thing of alerting his rescuers to his location however.

"Harry?" Was it his imagination, or did that sound like Lily Potter?

"In here!" Harry yelled as loudly as he could as he began to wriggle away from the fake-Moody like a caterpillar.

Running footsteps began to get closer to them and just as the fake-Moody went to grab him off the floor, he gave a strange gurgle and staggered back, looking rather frantic and confused. Harry took the opportunity to get even further away and he was right up against the wall next to the doorway when his rescuers finally arrived. Despite the clue from before, Harry was more than a little surprised to see it was Lily and James Potter along with Professor Dumbledore who had come to his aid.

"Alistor?" James gasped as he saw the man upon entering.

"He's not the real Moody." Harry told them quickly as he struggled to sit himself up. "He's taken Polyjuice potion; it's him who's been stealing from the store room all year."

No more needed to be said at that point as James cast the same spell the fake-Moody had used on Harry, tying him to a near-by chair. Lily was down beside the dark haired teenager in an instant, busily untying the ropes around him, (why she didn't just use her wand he didn't know) and then helping him to stand when he was free. The woman kept her arms around him securely as her husband and the Headmaster interrogated the Polyjuiced man though it was proving to be useless without Veritiserum or anything of the sort.

However, when the trunk at the side of the room gave a sudden jolt, it caught the attention of both Harry and Lily. They glanced at each other and, with a silent agreement, Harry stepped behind the red-haired woman slightly as she pulled out her wand and pointed it to the trunk. Silence fell over the three men in the room with them as the trunk began to open section by section. A click sounded when it was fully opened and for a few moments no one moved. Then, finally, Harry was the one who stepped closer to the trunk and carefully peered at what was inside. A gasp left him at the sight of the real Moody trying to stay in the shadows of the trunk, hands and ankles tied together and dressed only in his underwear.

"He's in here!" Harry told Dumbledore in a surprised tone, stepping away from the trunk to allow the others to check on the ex-Auror.

The three adults hurried over to the trunk to have a look just as the sound of more footsteps reached them. "Haryon?" That was Severus' voice.

"We're all in here Severus." Professor Dumbledore answered as he straightened from the trunk and went to stand at Harry's side.

Running footsteps came again and seconds later Severus had entered the office looking more than a little frantic. "What happened?" He demanded instantly, going straight over to Harry and pulling him onto his arms.

"This isn't the real Alistor." James answered from where he was standing beside the Polyjuiced man with his wand poking the tied man right in the neck.

It was only then that the presence of the Potters seemed to register with Severus and he glared at them both in turn. "What are you two doing here?" The Potions Master asked darkly as he pulled his son a little closer to himself.

"We came to check on how Harry is." Lily answered as calmly as she could. "We were met by Albus and were on our way to his office when Harry's two friends almost ran into us and said that Alistor had locked himself in the DADA classroom along with Harry."

Severus looked at the woman stiffly for a moment before he seemed to make up his mind about something. "You have my gratitude for assisting my son then."

Harry cringed slightly at that. That had been a very consciously said sentence on his father's part. He had seen the opportunity to remind the Potters that they had given Harry up and had taken it. It was no doubt a cheap shot and could be seen to rather inappropriate considering the situation but Severus couldn't really be blamed. After all, to hear that your only child was in danger and then finding that he had been saved by his biological parents, it had to feel more than a little threatening.

James seemed to want to say something in reply to Severus' remark but his wife spoke up before he could say anything which might start an argument. "Yes, well, we were hardly going to just let Albus come here and deal with this on his own."

Severus said nothing to that, instead completely ignoring the woman and turning his attention back onto his son. "Did he hurt you?" He inquired gently.

"No," Harry assured with a small shake of his head. "Not really."

"Good." His father said softly as he leaned down slightly and dropped a kiss onto the top of Harry's head.

It was as Severus straightened up again that the fake Moody gave another strange gargled sound. Everyone in the room was immediately on full alert and Harry was pushed behind his father protectively. Everyone watched with grim fascination as the fake Moody's face began to change, the skin apparently bubbling and the hair fading into nothing. The magic eye and the strap which held it fell to the ground uselessly as the transformation ended and Harry gasped at who it was.

"You!" He gasped. He knew the man! It was the man he had seen in his vision at the beginning of the year, it was the man who he had seen when he had accidently touched the fake Moody's hand the other month. Harry suddenly felt very frustrated with himself for not figuring it out before; he'd have saved them all a lot of trouble if he had.

"Bartemius Crouch Jr." James said with a shake of his head.

Harry's eyes flickered to the Auror and then to the convicted Death Eater. So that was Mr Crouch's son? And then it occurred to him. "You killed your father." He said to the tied up man quietly. Crouch Jr simply sneered at him triumphantly. "You're vile." Harry told him simply before turning and walking away, followed by Severus. Together, they left the room silently, leaving behind the others to deal with the Death Eater and the real Mad-Eye Moody.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

20th July 1995: Midday

Harry laughed heartily along with George at the whispered comment Fred had just made about the Muggle woman further up the carriage from them who looked to be dozing off. The three boys were forced to stand as all the seats in the crowded compartment were taken and Harry had to hold onto George as there was no space for him to hold onto one of the poles or even the hand rails along the roof of the train. Beside them, sitting down as they had been quick enough to steal the seats when they had first got on the train, Hermione and Violet were chatting animatedly about something which he couldn't hear over the echoing, rushing sound caused by the rapid movement of the Muggle underground train they were riding into Central London. None of them really had a specific plan on what they were going to do but they had all felt the need to meet up and just spend some time together.

Since Hogwarts had ended for the summer, Harry and his father had been staying at Malfoy Manor because the wards and such were much stronger there than at their little cottage, (Harry also got the feeling that now he was aware of his father's and godfather's "relationship" they wanted to spend more time in each others "company"). And since they had arrived at the manor, not once had Harry been allowed past the wards. His entire family was paranoid that the moment he stepped past those wards, Voldemort would pop up and steal him away. So, the only contact Harry'd had with his friends from school was letters and the occasional fire-call.

Then, a week ago, Hermione had asked if he wanted to get out of the manor and spend the day in and around Muggle London. Harry had immediately jumped at the chance and, after much negotiation with his family, he'd finally been given permission to leave the manor without Severus, Lucius or Draco going with him. It seemed to be the case that they understood that almost a month straight with just the three Slytherins for company was just a little too much for the Gryffindor to handle without going insane. So they had granted him that one day of freedom despite the fact that none of them had been particularly happy about it.

Once Harry had confirmed that he could go with Hermione, she proceeded to invite Fred and George and also Violet. Apparently, the two girls had actually become quite good friends during the last year at Hogwarts. Violet was no longer jealous of the attention Harry would pay to Hermione and at several times they had comforted each other when they were both scared or worried for him. The dark haired young man was glad of the friendship as he often worried that Hermione had no female friends.

"We'll need to stop in Diagon Alley." Harry remembered suddenly, making sure to speak directly in George's ear so he could be heard. "So that I can transfer the money from the Triwizard Tournament into your account."

"All right." George said with a nod before looking up to Fred. "Harry wants to do the money thing for Wizard Wheezes today."

"Sure thing." Fred nodded.

"Have you told your mum about what you're planning yet?" Harry inquired.

"No, not yet." George replied.

"You two do realise she's going to kill you when she finds out, don't you?"

"She'll get over it." Fred grinned.

"And then when we have all the money in the world she'll wonder why she was ever angry." George grinned.

A sudden tugging on his arm caught Harry's attention and he turned his head to see it was Violet trying to get his attention for Hermione's sake. "We're coming up to the station we need to get off at." She told him in a raised voice.

"All right." Harry nodded seconds before a chill ran right through him. He froze completely and spent a few seconds worrying before his vision turned back.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Figures. Dozens of black-cloaked figures were standing across the length of a pitch black tunnel, railway tracks separating some from the others. They all held their wands out, ready. A light began to shine on them, quickly getting brighter and soon a train came rushing into view, speeding towards the figures. Together, they all flicked their wands forward and the train came to an abrupt stop.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry gasped in horror as he came back into himself. Both of George's arms were around him now, holding him up. All his friends were calling to him desperately but he couldn't bring himself to speak. Those people he had seen, they were...

"Death Eaters..." He gasped seconds before the train around them jolted to a very sudden stop.

Practically everyone who was standing fell and those who were sitting were jolted violently. Harry, his balance being terrible in all situations anyway, went tumbling down instantly, dragging George down with him. A cry rose up as other people fell and the attention of everyone in the carriage was caught and they all began to look around themselves and talk all at once. However, when the lights flickered for a second before going off completely, people began to panic.

"What's happened?"

"Is something wrong, do you think?"

"Maybe it's a terrorist attack!"

"That's impossible." Hermione replied to that statement from the random Muggle. "The IRA haven't been active for three years now and they always give warnings beforehand anyway."

"You have to get out of here!" Harry hissed desperately as he and the twins managed to get back onto their feet, making sure that no Muggles heard him. "There are Death Eaters outside, they're the ones who stopped the train."

"What do you mean "you"?" George demanded.

"We're not leaving you here on your own." Fred insisted.

"You have to!" Harry insisted. "You both need to take Hermione and Violet and go. Alert the Aurors or something but you have to go now!"

"But..." George began to protest again.

"I'll be fine, I promise. They won't hurt me." Harry insisted just as there was a chorus of screams from somewhere in the distance, no doubt in another carriage. Harry turned to look at his two friends again and gave them a pleading look. "Please, I need to know I don't have to worry about you all."

The two Weasley's looked at Harry with an expression like a combination of horror and reluctant agreement. When more screams came, they seemed to eventually realise that if they were going to act, they had to act quickly. "We'll go straight to the Ministry." Fred told him.

"You won't be alone for long." George assured.

"Thanks guys." Harry smiled genuinely.

Both red-haired young men simply nodded before grabbing hold of the two girls they were spending the day with. Before either girl could ask what they were doing or protest at leaving Harry on his own, they had been seized and had vanished with the twins with two, simultaneous cracks. That seemed to startle all the Muggles even more and many gave a surprised, slightly fearful cry at the sound. However, that fear was short lived, only to be replaced by an even greater degree of terror, when the door at the end of the compartment flew open so roughly that it swung back and slammed against the wall.

Harry wasted no time and immediately pulled his pendant over his head and held it out in front of himself. He breathed the command to release and the pendant grew to its full size quickly, the resulting wind created by the magic completely terrifying the surrounding Muggles. Abruptly, as though tired of the near hysterical Muggles, the Death Eaters began to wave their wands in what appeared to be rather careless actions towards the innocent people and, in turn, the people relaxed and slumped where they were sitting. Harry desperately wished he could check whether all the people were all right or not but he felt that he couldn't drop his guard for even a moment or else the Death Eaters would be upon him. He was no fool, he knew that there was a very good chance that help wouldn't come in time and he knew he couldn't hold his own against so many more advanced wizards and witches.

"Are you going to make this difficult?" One of the Death Eaters, a female one, who was furthest into the carriage asked in a rather bored tone.

"I'm not going to just let you pick me up and take me away if that's what you mean." Harry replied with a frown as he steadied his staff, ready to cast whatever spell he might need in an instant, whether it be to shield himself or to prevent the Death Eaters from getting any closer to him.

The Death Eater in question nodded her head as though that answer had been no great surprise before reaching down and grabbing a limp, Muggle girl, no older than six or seven, by the wrist and yanking her up from where she had been slumped in her seat. "Put down your staff and surrender or I'll kill the girl." The Death Eater threatened in a rather bored tone, holding the little girl up quite a way and pointing her wand straight at the child's temple.

Harry's eyes flickered from the masked face to the calm, neutral face of the unconscious girl. There was no real choice about it. With a sigh, Harry drew back in the power of his staff so that it shrunk back down to its pendant size. Instantly the Death Eaters were starting towards him, thankfully the little Muggle girl being dropped and forgotten just as quickly as she had been involved. Harry just managed to put the thin, silver chain over his head to rest around his neck before his upper arms were grabbed by two Death Eaters who then began to pull him forwards. He didn't fight them, there was little point as he knew he was in no real danger from them or Voldemort, but he hoped to the Goddess that Aurors would soon arrive to help him.

As though his prayer had been answered, the crack of Apparation came several times over and cries of "Stupefy" the familiar flashes of red light began to come from outside. Harry's heart soared with new found hope. With a burst of strength, he managed to rip himself away from the two Death Eaters holding him and make a dash further up the carriage, away from the group of Voldemort's followers.

"I'm in here!" Harry called at the top of his voice as he quickly dodged to the side in order to escape a Stupefy which had been sent his way by one of the Death Eaters.

Moments later, several Aurors appeared in the carriage and then it was only seconds before a battle had begun and Harry crouched down as low as he could to try his best to avoid any stray spells which may accidently head his way. To his great relief, the fight didn't last for very long and soon it was all over with five injured Aurors and dozens of arrested Death Eaters. Once it was over, just as Harry was beginning to think he had been forgotten about, he saw a familiar figure approach him from the side.

"Are you all right?" James Potter asked him as reached his side and offered a hand to help Harry up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harry assured him, accepting the offered hand. He looked around himself when he was back on his feet. "What will happen to all the Muggles?"

"They'll most likely be Obliviated or have their memories modified to think it was a terrorist attack by other Muggles." The man explained as he held out his arm. "Grab hold and I'll Apparate us out of here."

Harry hesitated a moment. Accepting Potter's hand to help him to his feet was one thing but to hold onto his arm and Apparate with him; he'd only ever done that with Lucius or Severus. To do so with Potter, who was his biological father, felt like something of a betrayal. However, before he could reach a decision on the matter, his vision turned black as he had his second vision of the day. He was caught by Potter as he swayed dangerously but in seconds he was back into himself with frightened gasp:

"Father!"

20th July 1995: Afternoon

Back and forth Harry paced restlessly across the room, from one wall to the other, his thumb raised to his lips and his teeth anxiously gnawing on the nail. Every few minutes or so his eyes would flicker towards the door to the room and, upon seeing nothing different, he would simply look back down to the floor. His mind was racing a mile a minute with a countless number of horrible scenarios while all the while he was waiting for someone to come and tell him what the Hell was going on.

Malfoy Manor had been attacked. The moment with James Potter, he had seen it in a vision and he had seen his father fall. But then the sight had faded and he didn't know what was happening now. All he knew was that Severus, Lucius and Draco were somewhere in Saint Mungo's and that a doctor had told Harry to go to the family room while he went to find out what was happening. That had been half an hour ago and still the man had not returned; the nervous wait was doing the Gryffindor's blood-pressure absolutely no good at all.

When the door slowly opened inwards, Harry's eyes were on it in a second and he saw immediately a sight which made most of his worry fade in an instant: Draco; Lucius; Severus, all looking completely fine. Harry didn't bother to even speak, he just ran up to them and threw himself into his father's arms. He was caught gladly by the man while he was asked: "Are you all right?" Obviously they had been told about what happened on the train.

"I'm fine, the Aurors got there just in time." Harry reassured his whole family before latching onto Draco and squeezing the life out of him, the embrace being returned with equal intensity. "What about you all?" He asked, drawing back enough to look at his family. "What happened exactly?"

"Death Eaters somehow managed to get past the wards surrounding the Manor." Lucius answered as he moved further into the room and sat down on one of the sofas pushed up against the left hand wall. "Luckily when the wards broke we were alerted otherwise we may not have escaped as safely as we did. We had just enough time to fire-call the Aurors before we had to start fighting."

Harry nodded at that before turning to his father who was going to sit beside his godfather. "I had a vision of it and saw you fall; what happened?"

"I was hit with a powerful binding spell." Severus answered as he seated himself and Harry and Draco went to sit on the two-seat sofa next to the three-seater their fathers were sitting on. "That's why I was in that medical cubical for so long."

"What about you two?" Harry asked Lucius and Draco. "Were you injured?"

"I suffered a short bought of Cruciatus." Lucius answered as though it was nothing serious and merely a minor inconvenience.

"I've got bruised ribs." Draco spoke afterwards, taking Harry's hands and placing them over his stomach so that the dark haired boy could feel the bandaged surrounding his abdomen.

Harry frowned lightly at those words. "None of those were ever going to be fatal though."

"Their task wasn't to kill us." Severus replied. "They were merely supposed to retrieve us so that we would face the Dark Lord. Then, after a bit of torture, he would no doubt have killed us."

"Ugh, how can you be so...Normal about it all?" The Gryffindor asked with a slight wrinkling on his nose.

"Years of doing it to other traitors desensitises you to it." Lucius answered coolly, making Harry want to flinch at the reminder of his father's and godfather's past. "And now that we have put your fears to rest, perhaps you would be so kind as to put ours to rest."

"Indeed." Severus agreed in a cold tone which told Harry instantly that the man wasn't happy. "We want to hear everything about what happened when the Death Eaters attacked the Muggle train you were on, and do not try and edit out the fact they almost succeeded in capturing you, an Auror has already informed us of that."

Harry shifted next to Draco uncomfortably, feeling the gazes of the three Slytherins fixed on him firmly; he was never going to allowed out of the manor again.

23rd July 1995: Morning

Well, Harry had been wrong. He had been allowed to leave Malfoy Manor again. However, it was only because he was no longer living at Malfoy Manor. The moment he and his family had left Saint Mungo's they had moved into Hogwarts by invitation/order of Professor Dumbledore. Aurors had accompanied them while they gathered the belongings they would need most, (clothes, other necessities, important items, etc) and then they entered through the wards of Hogwarts. Since that time, none of them had left the security of those wards.

Until today.

Lucius and Severus were going on holiday. Yes, that's right, they were going away to have a break. Just the two of them, completely alone while Harry and Draco had to stay at Hogwarts. Harry was not amused to say the least. If anyone deserved a holiday he did. And to make it worse, the men would be gone for his birthday as well. His coming of age and neither his father or godfather would be there.

From where he sat on a window ledge, Harry had a good view of Severus and Lucius walking away from the school, heading for the wards surrounding the school's grounds. They carried trunks, no doubt full of their clothing and such and talked between themselves. The dark haired Gryffindor frowned at the sight, the argument he'd had with the men still fresh in his mind. Upon finding out the plans of the men, he had told them exactly what he thought of their idea. They still hadn't really made up and that left Harry feeling even worse about everything.

Arms came around Harry's waist suddenly and a warm chest pressed against his back. The dark haired young man gave a light sigh as he leaned back against the source of comfort and closed his eyes. "I can't believe they've actually gone." He murmured sadly.

"You didn't say goodbye." Draco's voice stated gently. "They missed you but understood."

"If they really understood they wouldn't go." Harry muttered. "It's not just because they'll be gone over my birthday or that it's one rule for us and another for them, but they're in just as much danger from Voldemort as we are. They're putting themselves in so much danger, and for what? A few days alone to shag each other no doubt." It wasn't often he referred to such things in any context, let alone between Severus and Lucius, but he was annoyed and had no real care at that moment.

Draco said nothing to that, instead pressing a kiss to the head of dark hair and then bringing a hand up to gently rest on top of the spot he kissed. A short silence passed then before the blonde finally did speak: "They're not going on holiday."

"What?" Harry asked with a confused frown.

"I can't say any more than that." Draco said in an apologising manner. "But I can suggest that perhaps you should take a look in Sev's pensieves some time soon."

Harry turned in Draco's arms to look the blonde in the face. The Veela was giving him a very pointed look as though to back up his idea. The dark haired teenager gave another small frown but gave a small nod. "Alright." He agreed.

Draco gave him an encouraging smile. "Everything will make a lot more sense when you have a look." He assured.

"Everything would make a lot more sense right now if you told me what in Merlin's name you're going on about." Harry chided him lightly though there was no real malice behind the comment.

"But that would be a lot less exciting wouldn't it?" The blonde replied teasingly but there was something in his tone which didn't quite make the teasing work. Harry brought his hand back to link his fingers with those of his mate's left hand and that seemed to be enough to break the Veela. "They made me take a Wizard's Oath." He said quietly.

"It's that serious..." Harry murmured, shocked by that news.

"Yeah, it's that serious." Draco murmured before pressing another kiss to Harry's hair.

Neither said anything more. They remained in their embrace but stared outside silently, leaving the other with their own thoughts.

23rd July 1995: Evening

Conflicting emotions ran through Harry as he stood in front of his father's three pensieves. On the one hand, he desperately wished to know what was really going on, because something obviously was. However, he felt an acute amount of guilt over the fact he was basically spying on Severus and rummaging through the man's personal thoughts without permission. He knew he had to look though, if only because Draco had made it so clear that there were things happening that he didn't know about but probably should.

Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped towards the pensieve to the left and lightly braced himself on the edges. Slowly, he leaned forward to look inside, eventually getting sucked into the memory held within.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

3rd August 1987: Morning

"Lucius, surely you should be at home, resting." Severus said to the blonde man he was sitting beside in front of Dumbledore's desk in the Headmaster's office. The Headmaster himself was sitting behind the desk, straight ahead of them, and was busying himself with pouring them all some tea.

"I'm fine Severus." Lucius assured his friend though the way he was sitting indicated clearly that he was in at least some amount of pain. "I have suffered under the Dark Lord's wand far worse before."

"That is hardly the point." Severus sighed with a shake of his head. "And Draco is no doubt worried about you."

"Draco will be just fine until I return to the Manor; I have the house-elves keeping an eye on him." The aristocrat assured as he accepted the cup of tea Dumbledore handed to him.

Just then, the door to the office opened and High Priest Sephiran entered quietly. "What are you doing here?" Severus bit out darkly, sending a chilling glare in the Elf's direction.

"Headmaster Dumbledore requested my presence. He felt I would be better able to explain what it is that is happening with young Haryon." Sephiran told him coolly as he glided into the room gracefully, eventually taking the seat at the side of Dumbledore's desk.

"You know what's going on?" The Potions Master demanded, furious that he was left in the dark while others knew what was happening with his son.

Sephiran set another cool look on the man before turning his head to the side, as though he had no desire to look at Severus any longer, and spoke calmly: "In 1975 I had a vision and spoke a prophecy. Both myself and Headmaster Dumbledore believe that it is Haryon I spoke of."

"You mean to say you're basing all of this on dreams and fortune telling?" Lucius asked snidely, earning a glare from the Elvish man.

"Your Wizarding methods of Divination are nothing in comparison to Elvish practises let alone Havanist techniques."

Lucius was unimpressed by that statement and simply sneered at the high priest. "So we're just supposed to believe in you or do you have some sort of evidence to back this claim?"

"I have brought the prophecy with me." Sephiran answered as he pulled a scroll out of his bag and then held it out. Neither Severus or Lucius moved to retrieve it and after a few moments of still silence, the Elf gave a sigh and drew the scroll back towards himself. "I'll read it to you then, shall I?" He asked in a monotone as he unfurled the parchment in front of himself:

"As the Dark Lord's purpose reaches its end,  
A child of twin soul shall fall at his feet.  
Abandoned in the past,  
And a Seer of the future and present.  
Abatement of the Lord's power if the child remains Light,  
Abnegation of all the child has known if seduced by the Lord,  
Abolition of the child will serve only the Light.  
As the Dark Lord's purpose reaches its end,  
A child of twin soul shall fall at his feet."

The silence came again as the prophecy ended, no one in the room speaking, none really knowing what to say. Then, eventually, the silence was broken by the blonde aristocrat. "And you believe it's because of this...Poem," Lucius said with distaste clear in his tone. "That the Dark Lord has set his sights on Haryon?"

"We have reason to believe that Voldemort is aware of this prophecy." Dumbledore told the two Slytherins. "Even if it is not a true prophecy, it may still be enough to provoke the Dark Lord into action in order to prevent it coming to pass."

"And you?" Lucius asked Sephiran. "You believe that this prophecy will come true?"

"I have no doubt about it." The dark haired Elf assured. "Why do you think Haryon was accepted into Saint Gwenifwar's? I assure you we are not in the habit of accepting non-Elvish students. However, upon Headmaster Dumbledore's recommendation and upon meeting Haryon for the first time, I recognised him for who he is. I have no doubt he is the one the prophecy speaks of."

"So what do we do now?" Severus asked, finally speaking up again. "Haryon and I cannot stay in Hogwarts forever."

"I'm afraid we will have to wait and see how things play out." Dumbledore told them all sadly. "We don't know how things are going to happen exactly and so we cannot prepare for them. However, at least we can be safe in the knowledge that Harry is in to mortal danger from Voldemort. As the prophecy states, merely killing him will aid only the Light."

"I don't like this." Severus basically grumbled, glaring off to the side.

"I do not believe any of us do." Sephiran replied to that. "But, for the moment, there is nothing we can do to change things and so we must live with them."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

4th June 1992: Early Morning

"You knew this was going to happen!" Severus accused Dumbledore darkly as he stood right in front of the man's desk. Behind him, Lucius sat on a chair, watching the interaction with interest. "You knew the Dark Lord was here and you knew that eventually my son was going to meet with him!"

"Severus, please," Dumbledore tried to soften the man. "We know that Harry would never be in any danger from..."

"If he wasn't in danger then why is he currently lying unconscious in my bed with that bloody Elf practically cooing over him?" The Potions Master demanded angrily.

"Please sit down Severus." Dumbledore said a little more firmly then before.

Before Severus could reply to that, the door to the office opened, catching all their attention. The three men turned their heads and looked to see Sephiran quietly enter the room. Upon noticing the attention he had attracted, he gave a small bow of his head. "Please excuse my interruption."

"How is my son?" Severus bit out, obviously putting a lot of effort into being civil.

"Haryon used a lot of energy in the exorcism and will need at least a few days to recover. He'll sleep for most of the time, if not all of the time." The Elvish man answered as he moved into the room and took one of the seats at the side. "He will make a complete recovery though, of that I can assure you so you need not worry so."

"I shall be the judge of how much or how little I worry about my son." Severus grunted as he took his seat next to Lucius finally.

"I think," Dumbledore began to speak then. "That it is time we tell Harry exactly what is happening."

"What?" Severus practically yelled.

"Severus, be reasonable, this is the beginning of something." The elderly wizard told the dark haired man. "Voldemort will not just go away now and Harry needs to be prepared for the day that he faces him..."

"What?" It was Sephiran's turn to cry out in surprised horror this time, though it didn't sound quite so harsh as Severus' had been. "You cannot expect Haryon to face Voldemort in combat! He is a Havanist Priest, he is a pacifist! For him to defend himself when attacked is one thing but for him to go to someone with the sole intent of killing them, we cannot ask him to do that!"

"I agree." Lucius said, moving his eyes from the Elf to Dumbledore. "Haryon is a child and even when he is a man we cannot expect him to do such a thing. The prophecy says nothing about Haryon having to do anything, it merely states that the Light will prevail if he does not go over to the Dark or dies. Everything which needs to be done can be done between us, surely?"

"There is no surely about it." Severus ground out darkly. "My son will not be involved in this." He moved his eyes onto Dumbledore and gave the elderly man a penetrating stare. "Any of this."

"I think a Wizard's Oath is in order." Lucius suggested in a manner which made it sound more like an order. "All four of us will take one to swear that none of us, no matter what, will speak a word of this matter to Haryon."

"I am willing to do that." Sephiran said with an inclination of his head.

"Dumbledore?" Lucius said with a raised eyebrow.

Dumbledore gave a sigh at that. "Very well." He conceded somewhat reluctantly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

27th August 1993: Morning

"Haryon gave this to me last night." Severus told Dumbledore as he placed the wand from the antiques shop onto the Headmaster's desk. "He told me he had a vision of the Dark Lord and a woman with this wand moments before he saw it in a shop window."

"I see." Dumbledore murmured as he took hold of the wand and pulled it over to look at.

"He also said that in the vision he saw a red cloud from the Dark Lord's mouth being absorbed into it." Severus added and to that Dumbledore remained silent. After a few moments, the Potions Master spoke again: "It's a Horcrux." It was a question though he said it as a statement.

"Yes, I believe it is. Ravenclaw's wand." Dumbledore said with a slight nod.

"I'll have another batch of the suitable potion ready as soon as possible then." Severus said seriously before turning without further word and leaving the room and Dumbledore behind.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

31st July 1994

Severus stood by the open window in the kitchen of their cottage home, an owl sitting patiently just in front of him on the counter while he opened the letter it had delivered. Quickly and with little care, he pulled out the parchment inside, unfolded it and began to read.

"The envelope, indeed, contained a Horcrux. Your presence is required at Hogwarts immediately."

Severus glanced over his shoulder to look at where Harry was in the living room, sitting in front of the fire and talking with Fred and George. With a sigh, he looked back down at the letter in his hand before tearing it into several pieces and then set them ablaze with a flick of his wand. Then, he turned and left the kitchen to tell his son that he needed to go and see Dumbledore.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

31st October 1994: Night

"Why has this happened?" Draco demanded angrily, glaring at his father and godfather. "I know you both know what's going on and you're going to tell me right now."

"Draco..." Lucius began.

"No Father, I don't care what you think or what law says, Harry is my mate and I have a right to know what is happening!" He paused and got no response from either man. "You want me to find out on my own? Because I will. No matter what I have to do I will find out what's happening eventually."

Lucius gave a small sigh and turned to look at the dark haired man beside him. "Severus, I think he should know. He could help keep Haryon occupied on certain occasions."

Severus' eyes flickered from Lucius to the blonde Luna Veela standing in front of them and then back to Lucius. A long moment of silence passed as he obviously thought things over. Then, eventually, a reluctant expression crossed his face as he turned back to look at Draco one last time. "You will be required to take a Wizard's Oath to prevent you telling any of this to Haryon."

"Fine." Draco said shortly, impatiently.

"Very well. To understand what is happening presently, you must be made aware of past events..."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry appeared back in his father's room in a rush, staggering a few paces back from the pensieve with the remaining momentum of his exit. When he finally stopped himself, he didn't move anymore and just stared at the pensieve, his mind working through all the information he had just been given.

A prophecy. That was the reason his life had turned out the way it had. A prophecy spoken by High Priest Sephiran who they all assumed was talking about Harry. And everyone knew about it: Severus; Lucius; Dumbledore; Sephiran; even Draco. They all knew and no one had told him. He understood that it was to protect him and on some level he appreciated that. He was also aware that to feel offended with his exclusion was rather hypocritical as he had kept serious things from his family more than once, but that meant nothing to him really, it didn't stop the anger and frustration he felt bubbling up inside himself.

And Voldemort had Horcruxes. He knew what they were and he knew what they did. Knowing of their existence made past events make a lot more sense. And at least two had been destroyed; the wand he had been given the summer before his fifth year and the one which was in the envelope he had received on his sixteenth birthday. He got the impression from the memory that the adults in his life had been searching for the Horcruxes even before Ravenclaw's wand so was it possible that there were others that had been destroyed? And just how many were there originally anyway?

But all those questions aside, the main point was that now Harry knew. He knew why the things which were happening were happening. And with that new knowledge came an acute sense of responsibility. His family had been protecting him from something so dangerous for so long when he should've been the one protecting himself and them. He was the one who had the advantage of seeing things before they happened, he was the one who was in the best position to get close enough to Voldemort to finally get rid of him, he was the one who seemed to find Horcruxes as easily as anything.

And that train of thought led him onto a natural conclusion; he would start to take on more of the responsibility for himself. He would start to search for the remaining Horcruxes, he would start to plan for confronting Voldemort and he would do it alone. His family would never let him get involved and so he would do it alone. They kept secrets to protect him and he would do the same for them. He would protect them from his Fate because it was his and his alone.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

31st July 1995: Morning

Harry was floating somewhere between being awake and asleep when he heard the sound of the bedroom door open. When he and the rest of his family had been required to stay at Hogwarts for their own safety, Harry and Draco had been required to stay in their own House dorm. However, what their fathers probably didn't know was that they had just been using the Slytherin room during their time there. It was for that reason that Harry wasn't in the least concerned that his bedroom door was opening; Draco wasn't laying next to him so it was obviously going to be him.

The mattress right beside Harry dipped under an extra weight and the dark haired young man allowed himself to roll towards the dip, coming to a stop when he lightly bumped into the leg of whoever it was who had just sat down. Moments later, a presence hovered over Harry's head for a moment before a kiss was pressed to his cheek. "Good morning." Draco's voice whispered.

Harry smiled at that and stretched while giving his reply: "Good morning."

"And happy birthday." The Luna Veela added on as he brought a hand down to run through the top of his mate's loosened braid. "Some cards and presents have already arrived including one from the twins as well as something extra from Father and Sev."

"I'm surprised they cared enough to send something." Harry grunted, still feeling a little sore on that subject. He knew why the two men had gone but that didn't mean he had to be completely okay about it. This wasn't any old birthday after all. This was his coming of age.

"Surely you understand though. After all, you saw Sev's pensieve." Draco pointed out reasonably.

"Just because I know what's going on, doesn't mean I have to like it." The dark haired teenager sighed as he stretched and then opened his eyes, immediately spotting something as he did. "Aww, you made me breakfast in bed." He said with a smile as he sat himself up, referring to the tray of food which had been set down on his bedside table. "You didn't have to do that."

"I don't have to do a lot of things." Was Draco's strange answer before he quickly rolled over. Harry gave a small, surprised cry as he was forced to lay down again and was then effectively pinned by the blonde above him. "How about you show me just how much you appreciate it hmm?" He suggested as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Ugh, Draco, no, don't!" Harry protested, turning his head away and trying to push the Veela off of him. "My breath stinks."

Draco gave a bored sigh at that as he reached down with one hand. Moments later, the hand came back with his wand in hand. He tapped Harry's lips with the tip of the wand three times and Harry noted that on the third his mouth stopped tasting completely foul and instead took on a sweet and minty flavour. "There," the blonde said with an easy grin as he put his wand aside. "Better?"

"I'm only thinking of you, you know. I'm sure you don't particularly want to snog someone with morning breath." Harry answered, a little defensive of the fact that Draco was making it all seem like such an unnecessary chore.

"You could never brush your teeth again and I would have no problem with ravishing you every morning the moment you wake up." Draco told him quite confidently as he gently lowered himself again.

"Aww, well isn't that sweet?" Harry grinned moments before he reared up and connected his lips to Draco's.

Their kiss started out soft and sweet. It was romantic and what was only a minute felt like forever. Draco snaked his tongue out to lick Harry's lips causing a shiver of pleasure to run down the Gryffindor's spine. The feel of his tongue encouraged Harry to put his own into play. It was soon after that their kisses became more like a battle for dominance. As predicted, Draco, being the Luna Veela, won with ease as Harry allowed himself to become fully submissive. As the Veela ran his tongue along the roof of his mate's mouth, his tongue, even his teeth, the dark haired young man became a puppet waiting for his strings to be pulled.

While one of Draco's hands held onto his, Harry idly noticed that the blonde was unbuttoning his pyjamas top with his other. The Gryffindor did the minimum amount of required movement in order to help the process along and make it easier for the Veela but otherwise lay there passively, accepting everything which was being offered. Soon, the pyjamas top was unbuttoned and left his lightly-haired chest exposed. Draco was quick to act then and almost the instant after the cloth of the pyjamas jacket had fallen aside, he had brought a hand up to gently tweak the right, dusty-pink nipple, eliciting a moan from the owner's rapidly drying throat. Harry's breathing was getting heavier as he felt a hot tongue glide along the length of his neck, starting from the slope and trailing all the way up to his ear where it then lightly traced the shell. Every touch made, no matter how small, sent shivers of arousal through his body and Harry basked in the feeling.

"Mmm, Draco..." He breathed, his eyes half-closed.

That was all it took to encourage Draco to do even more. Letting go of Harry hand, he reached down and began petting his mate's thigh through his pajamas bottoms. Because of Harry's focus on the other hand which was still tormenting his nipples in such a sweet manner, he didn't even seem to notice. It was only when Draco reached down his pajamas bottoms that he finally took notice. Harry gave a somewhat startled gasp as, teasingly, the blonde ran a finger the entire length of his erection.

Shuddering at the sensation, Harry closed his eyes for a moment before forcing them to open again. Draco looked down deeply into his eyes and they both held an intense gaze filled with their affection and love. The Veela cupped his mate's cheek, rubbing the soft skin with his thumb as he kissed his lips again. Harry closed his eyes in the kiss and didn't notice when it ended until he felt the blonde's lips travel along his jaw line and down his neck. Draco softly sucked on Harry's throat, enjoying the vibrations of the moans which were sounding. He didn't apply enough pleasure to create a love-bite though he considered doing that later on.

Beginning to kiss lower still, Draco placed butterfly kisses down to the middle of Harry's chest. His pale hands nudged at the dark haired young man's pajamas top and, understanding the gesture, Harry complied and removed the only thing covering his upper body though it had hardly been doing an effective job for several minutes at that point. Smiling at his mate's obedience, the Veela gently gave his left nipple a kiss, causing Harry to moan softly, more at the sentiment behind the kiss rather than any sensation it created. Draco then captured the nipple between his lips and gently sucked on it, his hands coming up and giving Harry's other nipple attention with tweaks and pinches.

"Uhh...Draco..." Harry breathed as the blonde swapped the attention, nibbling on the right nipple while his fingers played with the left. Harry gave an unhappy whimper when Draco left his chest but became quiet again when his kisses trailed to his stomach. However, he whimpered even more when the kisses continued on downwards, by-passing his ribs and then his belly-button...But then the kissing stopped and it was clear it was stopped for one main reason. "Draco, please!" He moaned, knowing he was being played with but not being able to stop himself; he so needed to be touched.

"Please what?" The Veela smiled to his mate mischievously, doing it on purpose just to hear him beg. This might be a birthday treat for the dark haired teenager but he was still allowed to have his own bit of extra fun.

"Please...Go lower..." Harry murmured, turning his head in slight embarrassment, currently still too aware of the situation to completely lose all inhibitions.

"Hmm? What was that?" Draco asked as he rested his head on the flat stomach of the young man underneath him, wanting to see how long it would be before Harry would break.

Surprisingly, it wasn't actually that long before Draco achieved his goal. A few slow, drawn-out breaths against Harry's hip-bone which also teased the Gryffindor's aching erection was all it took to draw a cry from the tormented teenager. "Lick lower Draco!" Harry practically yelled. Merlin, he needed to be touched. His body felt as if it was on fire and if Draco didn't do anything to him soon, he'd literally take the situation into his own hands.

The Veela was finally satisfied however so Harry's back-up plan was un-needed. The blonde obeyed his mate's wishes and he hooked his fingers around the waistband of the pyjamas bottoms before slowly pulling them down Harry's legs and off his feet, leaving him completely exposed to the blonde's hungry eyes. Harry was well aware of the sensation of his mate's eyes digging into him, drinking in his form, but he had long ago got used to such a thing. He no longer felt so self-conscious about his body when it came to earning Draco's approval and was quite comfortable being naked in front of the blonde Slytherin.

Now that Harry was fully open to him, Draco took a moment to kiss and nip at the flesh of the bare thighs. However, he spent only a second or two on each before finally spreading apart the dark haired teenager's legs and lowering his head towards his stiff shaft. The Veela's hot breath alone caused Harry's erection to twitch and throb and the Gryffindor could swear he could feel himself getting even harder. For an age it seemed that Draco was just going to hover over his erection, not doing anything. Harry was just preparing himself to beg for more attention again when Draco ran his tongue along his entire length, from root to tip. The young man gave a satisfied moan to that, encouraging the blonde to do more with the promise of more tantalizing sounds to be his reward for good work. The Veela licked around the head with more pressure, causing Harry's breathing to become just that little bit more laboured.

"Draco!" He moaned in appreciation as the blonde licked him again and again. His actions were becoming increasingly more teasing as he continued his process of licks along the entire shaft and it soon wasn't enough. Harry gave little pleading moans and whimpers to try and get his mate to understand what it was exactly he wanted as his ability to speak seemed to have left him some time ago.

Draco knew exactly what it was Harry wanted though and after he was satisfied with the state he had reduced his dark haired mate to, he finally obliged; he took the entire length into his mouth, causing Harry's back to arch and encouraging a long, loud moan of his name. The savory taste of Harry's seed played on the Veela's tongue and he instantly wished to taste it so much more. He began a soft sucking pressure, not wanting this all to be over too quickly but also wanting to move it along a certain amount.

The more Draco worked his tongue around the stiff length, the less Harry seemed to be able to breathe naturally. His chest heaved and the occasional choked gasp fought its way out of his throat. The dark haired young man's knuckles were turning white from the strength of which his hands griped the blankets of his bed and his back continued to arch towards his Veela's mouth. While one of the blonde's hands stroked the sensitive flesh of Harry's inner thighs, his other hand went underneath the Gryffindor and began to tease his entrance.

After a couple of moments of that, Draco opened his eyes but never once stopped his pleasuring of Harry as he reached to the side to the bedside table with the hand which had been caressing the thighs. His position made it rather awkward but he managed to open the drawer and withdrew the pot of oil which he had been using on his mate every night since their father's had gone away. He managed to unscrew the lid and then brought his hand away from Harry's entrance long enough to coat his index finger and middle finger in oil. Then, he went back to teasing the dark haired teenager's entrance.

Harry practically gave a sob when he felt the index finger enter him and he hadn't fully recovered when the middle finger entered him soon after. Having his entrance fingered was something the Gryffindor was used to now and so it was a quick process to get two fingers into him. Three fingers was something they had only tried once before so that would no doubt be the next thing he would be getting used to. That would obviously be on another day however because Draco quickly found his prostate and if the way he was relentlessly rubbing it was anything to go by, the Veela was making up for all the teasing he started with.

With all that pleasure running throughout his body, it was not much longer before Harry could feel his release rushing closer. "Dr-Draco...I-I'm gon...Gonna...Draco!" He gasped out the stutter as his orgasm crashed through him, his back arching as high as it could. It was such a rush of pleasure that seemed unbearable, prolonged by the continued suction on his member and the constant massaging of his prostate.

Harry's body trembled and he soon collapsed onto his bed bonelessly, breathing heavily as the rush of it all slowly died away. Draco had removed his mouth but had lingered behind, licking his mate's member clean and making sure to pull every single ounce of pleasure from the after-shocks.

Eventually, the blonde finished up his task and left his mate to rest as he shuffled up to cuddle up to the dark haired young man. Once in position, the Veela pressed a kiss to the side of Harry's head just the Gryffindor finished catching his breath and his chest stopped rising and falling so drastically. The sated young man released one final, long sigh before allowing his eyes to close and his head to roll to the side so his nose was millimetres away from Draco's. The Slytherin smiled at him before leaning forward and gently bumping his nose against Harry's.

"Happy birthday love."

31st July 1995: Midday

Harry climbed the stairs up to Dumbledore's office easily, a bounce in his step provided by his happy, birthday mood. He had left Draco lounging in bed still in favour of paying the elderly wizard a visit to thank him for the gift he had given him. His annoyance at being kept in the dark about Voldemort had faded into the background for his birthday and he had no intention of starting confrontation with the man. No, all he planned was to say thank you for the gift and perhaps join in a cup of tea if it was offered.

However, upon reaching the door of the office, Harry was rather startled to hear raised voices coming from inside the room. Dumbledore was arguing with someone? Who? Harry crept a little closer to the door and strained his hearing to try and make out who the voices belonged to and what they were saying.

"...Are not talking about a whimsical visit for fun here Dumbledore!" That was High Priest Sephiran's voice speaking in the harshest tone Harry had ever heard the man speak in. He almost sounded angry and that was something the young man had thought the Elf couldn't feel.

"It is not safe for Harry to leave Hogwarts at the moment Sephiran, how many times must I tell you this?" Dumbledore's voice replied, also sounding rather annoyed which made everything even more disconcerting for the eavesdropping Gryffindor.

"This is not about you being concerned for Haryon's safety," Sephiran accused as Harry inched himself closer to the door so he could press his ear up against the wood of the door to hear all the more. "This is you being afraid that if Haryon comes with me he will not return to you."

"Harry is faithful to his Wizarding heritage." Dumbledore insisted confidently.

"Then allow Haryon to choose." Sephiran's voice ordered.

"No."

"Because you know he will choose his religion over you and your cause."

"You mean he would choose you over me." Dumbledore corrected.

"Haryon respects me but his religion is more important to him then even me. If he did choose to come with me, it would be because of his love for the Great Lady, not because of any sense of duty towards myself." Sephiran disagreed coolly.

"I don't know why we're continuing this conversation." The Headmaster said next. "Harry will not be leaving the school grounds for the foreseeable future and that is final."

"You do not have..." The Elvish man began to protest.

"I'm sure if Severus was here he would say the same thing to you." Dumbledore cut Sephiran off quickly. A short pause came then and Harry unconsciously held his breath just in case the low sound made him miss something. "Now," the Headmaster's voice came again finally. "I think it would be best if you left Sephiran."

Another small pause before Sephiran spoke: "So this is how it ends between us?"

"And you regret it?" Dumbledore asked, sounding anything but sympathetic. "There was never any true friendship between us."

"True." Sephiran agreed, his tone hard and closed off. "I was a means to an end, as were you. I suppose it was inevitable to end this way. I bid you good day then Headmaster."

"Good day High Priest."

Harry quickly stepped back from the door then and seconds later, it was pulled inwards and Sephiran appeared in the open doorway. He paused for a second as eyes fell onto the young man in front of him immediately and he appeared to not be in the least surprised to see him there. Closing his eyes in a peaceful expression, Sephiran started forwards again.

When he walked past Harry, he spoke very gently and very quickly: "If you would do me the favour of meeting me at the front entrance this evening, I would very much appreciate it." And then he was moving again, slowly descending the staircase.

Harry watched his teacher leave intently up until he heard his Headmaster speak: "Harry?" The voice of Dumbledore called to him and the young man turned to look at the elderly man. "Is there something you needed?"

"Oh, no, I just wanted to thank you for my gift, but if you're busy here I can..." Harry replied, turning to go after Sephiran even as he spoke.

"No, no, do stay, won't you?" The Headmaster invited kindly, gesturing towards the chair in front of his desk. "We'll have some tea, yes?" He suggested just before calling a house-elf into the office.

Harry sighed lightly and turned back into the room, knowing that to refuse the invitation would not only be incredibly rude it would be painfully obvious that he was doing it in order to go after the Elf and if the end of the conversation he had just heard was anything to go by, the Headmaster would not be best pleased if that were the case. But it was all right, because Sephiran had told him to meet him that evening, it was only because Harry didn't want to wait that he was going to go after the religious man straight away. No, the meeting with the High Priest could wait. For now, he had to humour Dumbledore.

31st July 1995: Evening

Harry did as he had been asked and as the sun began to set, he left Draco with an explanation of where he was going before heading out to the front entrance of the school. There, he found High Priest Sephiran waiting for him. The dark haired Gryffindor was fully prepared to give his mentor a piece of his mind and have a rant about not being told about anything for so long. However, upon seeing the sadness on the Elvish man's face, any anger or irritation he had previously felt vanished in an instant.

"High Priest?" Harry said gently by way of greeting as he moved closer to the Elf.

"Good evening Haryon." Sephiran greeted him. "Thank you for meeting me. To be honest I was unsure whether you would be willing to after what you heard earlier between myself and Dumbledore and also now that you know everything." Harry gave the man a curious look at that. "I had a vision, I am aware that you looked in your father's pensieve." He explained before giving the teenager an apologetic look. "I am sorry you were kept in the dark for so long Haryon; we were only doing what we thought was best at the time. Perhaps we were right in protecting you or perhaps we should have trusted you with the truth. No matter though, for it is now the past."

"I guess I can see your reasons for not telling me anything." Harry admitted. "I still think I had a right to know though."

"Yes, I suppose on a certain level you did." Sephiran agreed. He paused then an looked out towards the distance. "Come Haryon, walk me to my carriage." And then he started forward. Harry followed alongside him obediently and for a while they walked in silence until it was the Elf who spoke again: "I did not just ask you to meet me to apologise to you Haryon."

Harry cast a sidewards glance towards his teacher, already having suspected that. He did not say anything however, instead waiting for Sephiran to continue on his own accord.

"In your father's pensieve, no doubt you would have seen the memory of hearing the prophecy for the first time. I did not, and to this day still have not, told your father and godfather what I originally believed was the meaning of the prophecy. Dumbledore knows of course but does not agree. It was one of the catalysts for the argument you caught the end of." Sephiran paused again and seemed to be preparing himself for what he was about to say, or perhaps he was merely attempting to decide how to phrase it correctly. "You, of course, are familiar with the legends of the Goddess and the Three Elders. Each one defeated the Incarnate of Evil at different times throughout our past as Messiahs sent by the Great Lady. It has always been foretold that the Incarnate will return, for evil can never fully be removed from this world. It is widely agreed among myself and the Havanist Elders that Voldemort is the current Incarnate of Evil."

Sephiran stopped talking there and for a moment, Harry was confused as to what it was that his teacher meant. Then, the intended meaning hit him like a charging hippogryph. He gaped openly at the holy man beside him: "You think I'm the next Messiah?" He gasped, his tone tinged with astonished disbelief.

Sephiran was silent for a long time after that question was asked. He looked at nothing except what was straight ahead of them and, even when he began to speak, he kept on looking out towards the distance. "To be completely honest with you for once Haryon, I do not know for certain whether you are or not. I know you too well Haryon. I've watched you grow, I've experienced your kindness and sadness and everything else. You are not an unreachable idol I have never met and worship only from afar. You are a young man, barely out of childhood, who I have spent twelve years guiding and training." He paused then and sighed. "This must be what Lady Astrid felt upon discovering the fate of her son Saint Morcedai."

"If I am the Messiah," Harry began tentatively, almost as if he was afraid of asking what he was about to. "Will I die facing Volemort?" All the past saints had died during their final battles with the ultimate evil; would Harry be the same?

"There is always a first time for everything." Sephiran said and his tone implied he knew that would be of little comfort to the young man beside him. The Elf finally turned his head to look at Harry. "Haryon, there is a third reason I asked you to meet me out here tonight."

"Oh?"

"I felt that it would be better to tell you to your face..." The man hesitated before steeling himself. "I have taught you all I can and, therefore, our lessons will no longer continue."

"What!" Harry cried, aghast. "But High Priest...!"

"You no longer need my direct guidance Haryon and that is something to find pride in, not fear." Sephiran cut him off gently. "There is no more I can tell you and if it were not for the fact that Dumbledore will not grant permission for you to leave the grounds of Hogwarts, I would take you right now to perform the Final Blessing to name you a high priest. As it is, that will have to wait until after this awfulness is over with."

"So you do think I'll survive?" The dark haired young man questioned, catching hold of that plan of the future like a last life-line.

"I hope and pray you will." The Elf told him sincerely.

They lapsed into silence again which continued for the rest of the journey towards the High Priest's wyvern-drawn carriage. Upon reaching it, Sephiran was the first to stop and Harry soon followed on his example. A faint, chilly wind blew past them every so often and the sky was rapidly beginning to darken, the sun setting behind the horizon. Several minutes of the two Havanists simply standing in silence passed and just when Harry was preparing himself to ask if there was anything else that needed to be said, his once-teacher began to speak again:

"I don't know what's going to happen to you Haryon." Sephiran told him quietly, sounding incredibly sorry for that fact. Once again he was not looking at Harry, instead gazing forlornly at the sun-set. "I don't know when you will face Voldemort, I don't know whether you will survive...However, I do know that when we next meet or when we next speak, no matter how far into the future that may be, it will be in a happier place, at a happier time."

Harry looked at the face of the Elvish man carefully and felt a shock of surprise to see that those deep blue eyes which always held a certain sparkle to them were glittering in the fading sunlight, indicating the fact that the religious man had tears in his eyes. The mature Gryffindor couldn't quite believe his eyes and the seconds dragged as his mind registered the fact that Sephiran was crying or at least on the way to crying. Then, acting on some strange impulse which came from deep inside him as if from no where, Harry stepped forward one pace, closing the distance in between him and his teacher, and wrapped his arms around the Elf's waist in a firm embrace. Strangely, but luckily, Sephiran instantly brought his arms around the dark haired young man in return, hugging him back with equal intensity.

"When it seems that all hope has gone, do not forget that prayer and faith are the most powerful weapons at you disposal." Sephiran whispered to him before quickly stepping away, breaking their embrace as quickly as it was formed. Harry faintly heard a soft "goodbye dear prince" before the Elvish man had retreated into the carriage, the door closing immediately behind him.

The wyverns set off immediately, taking flight and pulling the carriage up with them as they went. Harry watched with tears in his eyes and a heavy heart as the carriage rose and then flew away, gradually getting smaller as it moved further away from him and further towards the setting sun.

At that moment, if Harry could have been granted any wish, it would have been that that goodbye would not be the last thing he ever heard Sephiran say.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

1st September 1995: Night

Hogwarts had started again for another school year but it was already nothing like the previous years. Lucius was still at Hogwarts for safety and had taken up the position of DADA professor, his reasoning being that as long as he was going to be there all day everyday, he may as well do something of use. Draco was now Head Boy which meant he got his own set of rooms which he had already invited Harry to spend the night in, (to which he had declined for a very good reason). But what was probably even more noticeable than that was the fact that neither Fred nor George had been there to ride the Hogwarts Express with him, to sit with him during the Sorting Feast or to talk to him as they dressed for bed that night.

The twins had gone through with their plan and hadn't returned for their final year at Hogwarts in favour of opening Weasley's Wizard Wheezes with the winnings Harry got from the Triwizard Tournament. The dark haired Gryffindor couldn't deny that he missed his two friends a lot but he understood that it was something they really wanted. Also, them being away would give him a lot more time alone which was exactly what he needed for his own plans.

When he had said that he was no longer going to sit by and watch his family fight Voldemort, he was serious. In Harry's opinion, it was way past the time for him to get properly involved. And so he had a plan. The adults needed to find the Horcruxes and wanted to do so without Harry knowing? Fine, they could continue to think they were and they could look in old books and theorise to their hearts' content. Harry was going to go for a more direct approach. He was going to start inducing visions and hopefully start to locate the Horcruxes himself. After all, he had proof that he was sensitive to them with the times he'd had visions induced by being near the objects. This would be the same sort of thing, except they'd come when he wanted them to.

And so there Harry was, dressed in his religious robes, freshly bathed and laying on his bed with the drapes shut around him so he was in complete darkness. As needed, he hadn't spoken a word since sun-set, he hadn't eaten for six hours and had fought Draco off that morning when the blonde had attempted to have a bit of a ''play" before they had to set off for King's Cross station. The curtains around the bed were warded against entry and had also put up silencing charm just in case; the last thing he wanted was to be interrupted by one of his two remaining dorm mates. Beside his hip was a piece of parchment, a quill and a jar of ink for when he came out of his vision. His hands rested on his stomach, his fingers linked together and the chain of his pendent twined around each digit.

Harry released a slow, relaxed breath as he closed his eyes and shuffled one last time, getting himself completely comfortable. Now it was all a matter of concentrating on what he needed to know and making sure he didn't accidently fall asleep.

It was hard for him to determine just how long he laid there for, completely still and relaxed, as the passage of time was the last thing on his mind. However, eventually, no matter how long had passed, the technique worked and Harry's consciousness was swept away.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Standing in a corner of what looked like a Slytherin dorm room, (if the green drapes around the five bed were anything to go by it was a Slytherin dorm anyway) He looked around Himself to see what it was He was supposed to be seeing. There was no one in the room however and He felt an acute sense of annoyance; what was the point of being here if nothing was going to happen?

Then, suddenly, the door into the room opened. He turned to look quickly and was intrigued to see Blaise Zabini hurry into the room and then lock the door behind himself. So this was Blaise Zabini's dorm room? What could possibly happen here that He would need to see?

Blaise went straight over to one of the beds, (which was obviously his) and sat down on the edge before pulling two envelopes out of the pocket of his trousers. He looked at them both in his hands for a moment, appearing to be thinking of something, before quickly stuffing one of the envelopes back into his pocket and the tearing open the second. In a flurry he pulled out the letter inside and began to read.

To say that He was curious about the contents of the letter would be an understatement and so He moved away from the corner He had entered in. He moved around the bed the Fifth Year was sitting on and climbed onto it, crawling up behind the boy so He could read over his shoulder. It soon became clear to Him that it was a letter from the boy's father giving him instructions on things to tell his older sister, things to do with "certain extra-curicula activities". Although that phrase could have been completely innocent, He felt a sudden feeling of dread sink His stomach when His eyes swept over it and He knew that His instincts were yelling two words right in his ear: Death Eater.

They had got Bethany. He couldn't even try to pretend He was shocked.

A few more minutes of silence passed before Blaise gave a sigh, his shoulders slumping dejectedly. Almost reluctantly, the boy pulled out his wand and pointed it to the letter in his hand and with a spell which was obviously spoken but He didn't hear, the parchment went up in a burst of flame. Then, the young Zabini got to his feet and went over to his trunk, falling to his knees in front of it. After rummaging around in it for a while, he drew back again, guiding the lid shut. However, then he didn't move, instead staying in his kneeling position with his hands held together up at his chest.

He angled himself quickly, infinitely curious as to what the teenager He was spying on was doing. Moving, He saw that Blaise's lips were moving with speech and, allowing His gaze to lower itself, He saw that in the teenager's hands was a string of dark crimson beads.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry's eyes widened as he came out of his vision, leaving the Slytherin dorm room and returning to his Gryffindor one. That wasn't what he had been expecting but it could still be very useful indeed. He was pretty sure he recognised what the youngest Zabini was doing right at the end of that vision but he couldn't be completely sure as he was no expert on the subject. However, if he remembered correctly, there were two people who probably would be able to confirm or dismiss his theory.

Picking up the piece of parchment and the quill he had placed beside him on the bed, originally for the purpose of him noting down his vision, he began to use it for a different purpose. He dipped the tip of the quill in the ink quickly before proceeding to scribble down a letter to his two best friends. Once he was finished with it, he would go to the Owlery and send Hedwig to them straight away so that, hopefully, he'd get a reply by morning. Also, he'd stop by the kitchens on his way back; he was starving.

2nd September 1995: Morning

Harry smiled brightly in greeting as Draco sauntered over to where he sat with Hermione at the Gryffindor table. "Good morning."

"Morning love." Draco returned as he leaned down to kiss Harry's cheek before stepping over the bench and sitting next to him. "Granger." He greeted Hermione politely.

"Good morning." She offered in reply.

"No Weasley or Potter?" The blonde said in an inquiring tone as he reached forward for a bit of toast.

"They're still asleep as far as we know." Harry explained. "So how's having a room all to yourself Mr Head Boy?"

"Very nice indeed." Draco smirked. "And no doubt you'll get to see just how nice it is very soon."

"I'm sure our fathers would love that." The dark haired young man grinned in amusement just as the sound of flapping wings came.

Looking up, Harry saw that the owls carrying the morning mail were flying over-head and he kept a sharp eye open for any glimpse of Hedwig. He hoped that the twins had got his letter the night before, when he'd actually sent it, but he was also aware of the fact that they could have so easily have been asleep at the time Harry sent Hedwig with the note and therefore wouldn't have been able to send a reply to reach him that morning.

However, soon, it became apparent that for once something had worked out how Harry had wanted it to as Hedwig came soaring down to him, a letter tied to her leg. Harry wasted no time in retrieving the letter the moment his owl had came to land on the table, right in front of him, and then hastily opening the envelope. He pulled out the parchment inside, ran his gaze briefly over the slightly messy handwriting and then felt a swell of excitement sweep through him; he had been right about what he had seen Blaise Zabini doing in his vision the night before and that meant he now had something to work with to his advantage. There was also some extra information contained in the letter which could only help Harry do what needed to be done.

"Is that from the twins?" Draco's voice inquired suddenly and Harry quickly folded the letter and shoved it in the pocket of his robes before looking at the Slytherin beside him. The blonde merely raised an eyebrow at the behaviour, giving his mate a questioning look. "Should I bother to ask?"

"Ask no questions and I shall tell no lies." Was all Harry said and despite the fact he spoke in a playful manner, his meaning was clear and completely serious; the contents of the letter were not something he was going to readily talk about. The Luna Veela gave a slight nod of his head, obviously accepting the answer and going along with it, probably only because he didn't suspect a letter from Fred and George to be anything of vital importance. How wrong that assumption was though.

Harry reached forward and picked up his goblet of pumpkin juice and, over the brim of it, looked over to the Slytherin table. There, sitting between the two boulders who were Crabbe and Goyle, was Blaise Zabini, innocently eating breakfast and acting as if nothing in the world was wrong or different. Idly, the Gryffindor teenager wondered if it was wrong that he felt such a huge amount of anticipation for what he was planning on springing on that Slytherin boy in the near future.

2nd September 1995: Midday

When Harry had come out of Divination and found that there was no Draco waiting for him to go to lunch together, to say that he had been offended and more than a little annoyed would be an understatement. However, upon heading down to the dungeons to seek the blonde out and instead coming across Blaise Zabini, he was actually rather glad that he had been stood up. Since his letter from Fred and George that morning, the Gryffindor had been trying to think of how to get the Fifth Year Slytherin alone in order to confront him. Now, Fate, it seemed, had given him a perfect opportunity.

"Zabini." Harry called after the boy in order to catch his attention. It worked and the dark skinned boy turned, his eyes widening slightly upon seeing who it was who had called his name, though whether it was from surprise or apprehension was unclear. The Gryffindor picked up his pace in order to reach the younger teenager more quickly and then stopped when he was a couple of feet ahead of him. "I need to talk to you."

"What would you need to talk to me about?" Blaise asked snidely, sounding so much like his older sister.

"You're family's full of Death Eaters and you're a go between for your father and sister," Harry began and Zabini's eyes widened once again upon hearing that. "You have access to a lot of vital information, information which you are going to pass onto me."

"And what makes you think I'd do that?" Zabini asked in a stony cold tone, obviously now completely on his guard.

"Because I know something you don't want your Death Eater family knowing." Harry told him cryptically. Blaise looked unimpressed. The Gryffindor grinned at him and leaned in a little closer, to speak softly but still be heard by the boy. "I know you're a Christian, Catholic to be more precise." The Slytherin gave a horrified gasp and stepped backwards, shaking his head slightly. "My, my, a Muggle religion." Harry said in a chiding tone as he shook his head as well. "What would daddy say? What would sister say?"

"You wouldn't tell them." Blaise said, trying to call the older teen's bluff.

"You wanna risk that?" Harry challenged.

Blaise seemed to seriously consider all of his options in a matter of a few seconds before coming to a decision. He gave a slightly shuddered sigh before his shoulders slumped dejectedly. "What is it you want to know?" He asked reluctantly.

Harry almost grinned in triumph but managed to keep his face straight. "Meet me in the Astronomy Tower tonight after curfew, about ten o'clock, we'll discuss things fully then."

"So if I come, you won't tell my family about..." The young Zabini trailed off, obviously not wanting to say it himself.

"You have my word that I won't speak a word to your family unless I really have to." Harry assured and meant it completely; not only did he not want to speak with any of the other Zabinis and was acutely uncomfortable with the whole blackmail thing, he knew that this was something which needed to be done. He had no doubt that Blaise wanted to stop what his family was doing but was afraid to do so. All Harry was doing was merely giving the boy a poke in the right direction. And true, in a way, he admitted, it was bringing the boy even further into the whole mess with Voldemort, something he had stopped Cedric from doing and was in the process of protecting his family from. This was different though. Blaise was already involved, (to a degree) Blaise wasn't really a friend or anything, (though deep down Harry knew that didn't really matter) and the boy wouldn't really get involved that much, he'd just be passing on the information he was already getting. Yes, it was completely different, (or so Harry continued to try and tell himself).

Blaise looked at Harry cautiously for several moments before sighing once again and nodding his head. "I'll be there." He assured.

Harry finally smiled at that but it was a happy, encouraging one more than anything. It seemed to calm the Slytherin as he seemed to perk up himself and no longer looked so on guard. However, no sooner had the teenager relaxed as he had tensed again, his eyes flickering to something which was behind the Gryffindor. The dark haired young man was confused for a moment before looking over his shoulder, expecting to see either Bethany or Draco behind him. Instead, he saw the dark form of Severus approaching them swiftly, looking not in the least pleased for some reason.

"I'll see you tonight." Harry whispered to the Fifth Year Slytherin quickly before turning and walking to meet Severus so that the Slytherin and his Head of House didn't meet. "Hello Father, having a good day?" He inquired with a smile as he reached the man.

"Since when have you been on speaking terms with Blaise Zabini?" The Potions Master demanded instead of answering his son's query.

Harry blinked at his father and then put on his best innocent expression. "I was only asking if he had seen Draco around, I was supposed to meet him after Divination but he wasn't there waiting for me."

"Draco is currently helping me with something." Severus told him stiffly.

"Oh, I see." Harry replied easily, hiding the fact he felt he had a pretty good idea with what his mate was helping his father with. "When do you think he'll be finished then?"

"He should be able to join you for the second half of lunch." His father answered.

"All right, fair enough. Is there anything I can do to help?" He was giving Severus a perfect chance to let him know what was going on by saying that and he hoped against hope that the man would take it.

"Thank you for the offer but Draco and Lucius are providing all the help I need."

Harry felt like yelling at Severus and telling him he knew everything that was going out of pure frustration but he knew that would serve no purpose. The idea of acting hurt that he was apparently being excluded from something by the rest of his family did occur to him but he almost instantly dismissed it. Doing such a thing would be in no way productive and would only cause more stress and aggravation for everyone. And as a High Priest in all but the Final Blessing, he was supposed to prevent such things. Still, he couldn't help but feel slightly excluded, despite the fact he knew roughly what was going on and would no doubt be brought up to date as much as possible by Draco at a later point.

Harry offered his father a weak smile then. "I'll see you later then." He said before turning, intending to leave.

"Haryon?" Severus' voice made Harry stop mid-stride. The Gryffindor swivelled around to look at his father and saw that the man was looking at him with an expression of regret and hope. "Would you care to join me in my rooms this evening? We'll spend some time together, just you and I."

Oh, the temptation to turn the offer down just to spite the man. But then Harry would be spiting himself because that idea sounded wonderful to him. And so he smiled brightly and nodded. "I'd love to."

2nd September 1995: Evening

"Hey Hermione." Harry greeted the Fifth Year Gryffindor as he reached where she was sitting, waiting for him at the Gryffindor table for dinner along with her other two friends. "Alright there Ron?" He asked the Weasley in attendance. "And hello to you dear, sweet baby brother." He said when he got to John, ruffling the boy's already messy hair.

"Oi, get off!" John protested as he shrank away from his older brother's touch much to the amusement of the other two.

Harry chuckled but did as he was asked, removing his hand from the boy's head and then sitting down next to Hermione. "Have a nice first day back?"

"It's school," John grunted. "Nice is impossible."

Hermione gave him a disapproving look before turning to Harry and speaking. "I personally have had a wonderful day. I'm rather excited about what we'll be studying in Transfigurations and Herbology this year and although I was at first apprehensive about your godfather teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts I have to admit that he seems to have a very good plan for the year."

"Glad to hear it." Harry smiled as he reached forward to scoop some mashed potatoes onto his plate. "How was he with you all? He didn't pick on you or anything did he?" He asked in a concerned tone, mostly directing the question to his younger brother.

"He ignored us if anything." John answered easily to which Harry felt an instant swell of relief and gratitude towards the Malfoy patriarch. "Oi Harry, are you pissed off..."

"Language." Harry interrupted with a slight frown.

John sighed at that but went along with it. "Fine: oi Harry, are you mad at Malfoy at the moment?"

"No. Why?" The older boy asked, tone confused.

"Because he's coming over and looks like he's done something wrong."

Harry turned at the younger Gryffindor's words and saw that, indeed, Draco was making his way over to them and was looking less than confident, as though he was fully prepared to be told off. The dark haired young man simply aimed a smile the blonde's way and beckoned him over. That seemed to be enough encouragement for the Veela as he instantly picked up his pace and a second later was sitting beside his mate, pleading his innocence:

"I am so sorry about earlier Harry! But Sev needed help with something and I couldn't say no and it took longer than I thought it would and..." The blonde was forced to stop his frantic apologies when Harry reached forward and pressed his index finger to his lips.

"Was it to do with that thing?" He asked, hoping that the Veela would get his meaning. It took a moment but Draco did understand what Harry was referring to and nodded his head a couple of times. Harry smiled at that and removed his finger. "Then I completely understand." The blonde seemed to deflate at that and relax. "You didn't really think I was going to have a go at you, did you?"

"Well, I always thought there was a chance." Draco said with a shrug, completely back to his usual, confident self.

"What's the thing?" John abruptly asked curiously.

Harry opened his mouth to answer the younger boy's question but Draco got there before him. "Family business, private, I'm sure you understand." He said in a falsely polite tone.

The dark haired Gryffindor bit back a cringe at that and instead levelled a glare on his mate. The Veela merely raised an eyebrow at him before concentrating on fixing himself something to eat. Harry shook his head slightly before turning his attention onto John who was looking more than a little disgruntled at being brushed aside in such a manner and also probably because of what Draco had said. Now that things were better between the two genetic Potters, reminders of the fact they were related but had different parents just seemed to be extra hard to bear.

Harry offered his younger brother a weak smile and got one in return but it did neither of them any good and the depressed mood remained. They kept it between themselves however and joined in the conversation with the others.

2nd September 1995: Night

The door leading into the Astronomy Tower opened with a long creak which made Harry cringe, the sound seeming so much louder in the silence of the night. He slid through the slim crack he had created quickly, turning around as he did so his back was to the rest of the area. A moment was taken to look outside again, to make sure that no one had followed him before he carefully guided it shut again, another creak sounding much to the Gryffindor's displeasure but he continued on regardless, pressing the door into place until he heard a click. Only then did he turn around to face the rest of the room.

Due to the fact Harry had been expecting to see the room he was in, it was a startling discovery to find himself with an extreme close-up of someone's face millimetres from his own. He gave a small cry of shock and staggered back until he collided with the door and, in the second it took for him to do that, realised just who it was that had surprised him.

"Merlin Zabini, did you have to do that!"

"You're late." Was all Blaise said in reply to that.

"Yes, I am aware of that. I was held up from having to escape Filch." Harry explained easily as he moved past the Slytherin, intending to go over to one of the observation alcoves.

Blaise watched him carefully for several moments before speaking, not moving from where he was standing near the door: "Look Snape, I know you got your information from those Weasley twins so tell me what you want to know and then leave me alone."

"It's not that simple." Harry said quietly, sitting on a ledge, lit up in the silvery glow of the moon outside which he was gazing at with a soft gaze. Then, he turned his head to look over to the boy who was still glaring at him warily. "First of all, I want you to calm down. I'm not out to get you Zabini, honestly I'm not. I'm a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin."

Blaise said nothing to that.

The Gryffindor sighed. "All right then, stay where you are and just listen to me." He paused a moment, thinking about what exactly it was he wanted to say. "Despite what you think," he began again. "I didn't get my information from Fred and George. Yes, they confirmed it when I asked them but they weren't the original source. I suppose you're aware that I'm prone to the odd vision, hmm?" A nod. "Last night I had a vision of you, in your dorm room. I saw you with two letters, I saw you open one of those letters and I saw what was written in that letter. You act as a go-between for your father and sister."

The Slytherin glared again. "And I suppose you want me to stop?"

"No, not at all. As I said earlier today, I want you to pass that information onto me as well."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the only one who has a chance of defeating Voldemort." Harry murmured. "I'm the only one who can get close enough to him in order to pull it off. I'm not asking you to fight along-side me Zabini or publicly support me and if, somehow, you are found out, I will do everything I can to make sure you stay safe and protected, even if it means keeping you by my own side twenty-four seven. I know you're not happy with things the way they are, why else would you look so miserable after reading that letter? Why else would you fall to your knees and pray seconds after you destroyed it?"

Zabini stayed silent for a while after that and it was obvious he was considering everything the older teenager had just told him. You could almost hear the cogs and wheels in his head turning as he sorted everything out and weighed up his options. Harry watched the boy carefully, wanting to see if he could catch a glimpse of anything that would give away what answer the Slytherin was leaning towards. Nothing was given away though and he had to wait the long, nervous minutes before the dark skinned teenager finally answered:

"If I did help you, what exactly is it you'd want to know?"

"Anything." Harry replied without hesitation. "Absolutely any bit of information you could possibly supply me. Anything your father tells your sister or anything he tells you, yourself. It could all prove to be useful and it could all aid in bringing Voldemort down."

"And you'll protect me if something goes wrong?" Blaise checked carefully.

"Yes."

A long pause then as Zabini looked to the side, away from Harry and to a shadowed corner of the tower. It wasn't a tense silence though, because Harry knew what was coming. He knew what the boy's answer would be and he hadn't even needed a vision to tell him. The youngest Zabini was a complete open book; it was a wonder the boy had managed to keep his religion a secret from the rest of his family for so long.

Abruptly, the Slytherin took in a deep breath, his shoulders squaring before he turned his head back so he was looking at Harry. Their eyes met and before the boy had even spoken, Harry knew he had been right.

"All right." Zabini said with a stiff nod. "I'll help."

13th September 1995: Evening

Harry sat on his bed, his back resting against the head board and the curtains closed around him, looking down at his scroll of parchment carefully, a quill held between the fingers of his right hand, ready to note something down or scribble out something accordingly. He had just induced another vision and this time it had turned out to be something expected rather than the surprise direction of including Blaise Zabini in his plans. This time, he had focused on the progress the adults were having with the Horcruxes and, just as he had wanted, he was gifted with a vision of the current situation.

Another Horcrux had been found. The vision had been vague on what the object actually was, it looked like a it had most probably been a wand. If Harry had interpreted the vision correctly, (and he was more than confident that he had) the latest Horcrux had been located during the time Lucius and Severus had been away and had been retrieved only recently, perhaps in the last three or four days. It had definitely been destroyed though which was obviously something to be pleased about.

So, now, according to Harry's notes, there were three more Horcruxes to destroy, two of them unknown and the third one being Voldemort himself, (though could Voldemort be described as a Horcrux? Harry wasn't sure, so he just generalised the term). He was already planning on methods to try and get himself to see what the final two were and also on how he was then going to deliver the information to the adults without them catching onto the fact that he knew everything they were doing. It would be tricky but in no way was impossible and Harry was confident that it only had to be a matter of time before everything began to come together and wrap itself up.

25th September 1995: Night

It was freezing cold and it was snowing which, common sense told Him, meant He was outside. And, opening His eyes and looking around, it became clear that, indeed, he was outside. It was night time, the sky black and cloudy, the trees around Him nothing but black silhouettes and the snow almost glowing in the darkness.

He was on His knees, leaning forward to support His weight on His hands. There was someone beside Him with a hand on His shoulder.

Suddenly, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, there was a horrible bang, a lot like a very heavy door smacking into something equally as solid and heavy. He stood from where He was kneeling and looked around slightly frantically to see a couple of dozen metres away from Him was a massive, dark, imposing building.

The person beside Him clutched His arm tightly and after that nothing moved. For long moments, nothing more happened but the nervous atmosphere didn't relax. The stress getting to Him a little too much, He lowered His head and closed His eyes while taking in a deep breath to calm Himself. Around Him it was silent again and the snow continued to fall around, frequently landing on Him and chilling His skin. After a few moments, He opened His eyes again without raising His head and gasped at the sight of His hands; they were stained with thick trickles of some black and viscous substance.

From somewhere in the darkness, an almost inhuman roared scream echoed around Him.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

11th October 1995: Night

The days had passed far too quickly for Harry's liking. One moment it had been September and the next it was well into October. The time had flown in the blink of an eye, bringing him one step closer to what he was destined to do.

Progress had been made with Blaise Zabini however, so the time had not been wasted. A sort of shaky trust had been formed between the Gryffindor and the Slytherin and although they weren't on a first name basis they trusted each other to a degree. Harry was confident that the information Blaise gave him was accurate and Blaise was confident that Harry wasn't going to suddenly turn around and stab him in the back.

And it was at that moment that Harry was waiting for the young Zabini to meet him. He had found a note from the Slytherin when he had been taking out his books after all his lessons had finished for the day requesting his presence in the Astronomy Tower at midnight. For once the Gryffindor had managed to arrive before the younger teenager and so had decided to make use of the extra time by practicing with his staff. He was attempting some of the spells he hadn't really used before because they were attacking spells and he thought it best that he at least familiarise himself with them just in case the need for his staff when facing Voldemort rose.

"Alata(1)." Harry murmured quietly with a small gesture to his slipper which he had removed in order to use it as a target. A strong light shone from the pearl atop the staff and the rays which left it ran across the slipper like the blades of the fan. If the slipper had been evil, the beams of light would have shredded it quite neatly. When the light faded, Harry readied himself to try it again. However, a slight movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He instantly stopped all that he was doing and whipped his head to the side in order to look at whoever it was. It was only Blaise however and so the Gryffindor relaxed as quickly as he had put up his guard. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A few seconds." Blaise said with a shrug as he stepped closer now that there was no unfamiliar magic in use. "Was that your Elvish magic?" The young man simply nodded. "I've heard rumours about it but...Is it true that it let you kill the Dark Lord with one word?"

"No, sorry, that's a rumour with absolutely no truth to it." Harry answered with an amused grin. "I've never killed Voldemort."

"You're going to though, right?"

The Gryffindor sighed lightly. "Yes, I suppose I'm going to have to and then the rest of my life will be spent praying for forgiveness no doubt."

"Well, surely if you truly repent God will grant you forgiveness?"

"Hmm..." Harry replied, distracted, as that comment had reminded him of a query he had pondered before and which he desperately wanted the answer to. "Zabini, how did you find your religion? I mean, you're still young and I can't see your family being the type to hold information on that sort of thing."

Blaise gave a sigh and wandered over to where Harry was sitting on a ledge of one of the alcoves. "I have a Muggle friend who I met when I was fourteen on holiday in Italy, staying with my grandparents for a while." He admitted as he let himself fall onto his backside just beside the leg Harry had hanging down to rest on the floor. "She was Catholic and, well, I pretended I was as well to try and impress her. One Sunday we arranged to go to a service at her church and I just...It's hard to explain. I just...Felt something. I felt...Moved. Everything the priest said just made sense and he was so full of hope..." Blaise trailed off for a moment, seemingly lost in thought before he came back to himself. He cleared his throat and carried on. "When I returned to England I knew I had to look into it some more. I lied to my parents one Sunday and said I was going into Diagon Alley with some friends and instead I went into Muggle London. I don't know why I even bothered to lie really; they probably wouldn't have even noticed if I had just disappeared. Anyway, I wandered around for a bit and eventually came across a Catholic church. I went inside and attended the sermon that was being given and, again, I got that feeling of hope, of not being alone, of there being someone out there who wanted me to live a good life and cared whether I did or not.

"Then, when the service ended, I stayed where I was, sitting there, staring up at the front, at the image of Jesus Christ on the cross, thinking about my life and everything else. And then the priest who gave the service, Father McCormic, came over to me and asked if I was all right. Then we got talking about everything, my background, my life as it was at that moment, how my beliefs were changing. Then, eventually, he asked me my age. For some reason, I'm not sure why really, I lied and told him I was eighteen. Being tall for my age, he believed me and offered to baptise me as I was old enough to have it done without the permission of a parent or guardian. I jumped at the chance."

Blaise stopped then, having obviously finished and Harry studied the boy for several moments before speaking. "Your faith must be very strong if you're willing to take such a risk. Aren't you scared someone in your family or even one of your dorm mates will find your rosary beads?"

"I don't really care anymore." The Slytherin admitted. "And soon it hopefully won't matter. As soon as the Dark Lord is defeated, my entire family will be thrown into Azkaban most probably and I'll never have to worry about them again."

Harry gazed down at his companion with a sad gaze. He had never imagined the Zabinis to be a loving, nurturing family and so he wasn't exactly surprised to discover that the youngest of them held no real warmth for his parents or sister. However, to wish Azkaban on them all meant so much more because that prison really was the worst place on the planet. The Gryffindor wondered briefly what it was Zabini had experienced with his family but quickly decided that it was probably best not to ask.

Instead, he gave a light sigh before asking: "So what's this information you needed to give me?"

"Oh yeah." Blaise said, apparently just remembering that fact again. "Apparently, there's something in the school that the Dark Lord wants and my dad in turn wants Bethany to try and find it and send it to him so he can pass it on. Something called Hufflepuff's Cup."

"You're sure that's exactly what it is that Voldemort wants?" Harry checked carefully.

"Yep, that's what the letter said. Is it something important then?" Blaise asked curiously.

Harry thought for all of a second, wondering if it was time to perhaps trust the boy with some more information. And he decided that Zabini had trusted him with the story of how he had found his faith, it was only fair that he be trusted in return.

"Tell me Zabini, have you ever heard of a Horcrux?"

12th October 1995: Morning

Normally, for Harry, waking up was the worst part of the day. It was a hard thing to do most of the time and it meant that there was a full day's work ahead of him. However, over the last month or so, waking up had changed from being a simple chore to something the Gryffindor actually dreaded.

The meetings with Zabini at least every other night were taking their toll on him and he was falling asleep the moment his head hit his pillow which was doing no good for bringing on visions as he often fell asleep before he could see anything. And waking up in the mornings had become almost impossible. Then, when he did succeed in dragging himself out of bed, he was useless for most of the morning, mainly focusing on not falling asleep rather than what was being taught in his lessons. Breakfast was no longer the first meal of the day for Harry, it was a chance to doze for a few minutes before his first class. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, this behaviour was not going unnoticed by the people he was close to.

"Harry?" Hermione said as she and Violet gazed at where he was half slumped over the table in concern. Carefully, the Fifth Year reached over to him and lightly shook his shoulder. "Harry!" She said a little louder.

It did the trick and Harry's eyes flew open in an instant as his back straightened and he lifted his head. "Huh?"

"Are you all right?" Violet asked her older brother, worry clear in her tone.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Harry assured with a rather dopey smile as he leaned back and stretched his arms and back.

"Are you sure?" Hermione checked, her tone also thick with worry for her friend. "You've been like this for quite a while now Harry."

"I promise you both that I am completely fine, there's nothing to worry about." He smiled to them both, a little brighter this time as he tried his best to appear at least somewhat alert. Neither girl looked particularly convinced but they luckily dropped it, obviously realising that if Harry didn't want to tell them anything, they wouldn't be able to get it out of him.

The rest of breakfast passed without further incident. Draco never arrived and, up at the front of the Great Hall, Severus, Lucius and Dumbledore were also absent which led the dark haired young man to believe that they were probably doing something that involved Voldemort and Horcruxes. The mail arrived and Harry got a letter from the twins as well as from Marcia and Rhys as they had taken to just sending one letter from the both of them. Harry made sure not to doze off again to stop his two female friends from further worrying but it wasn't easy and by the end of the meal he felt as though he could quite happily have a nap standing up as long as it meant he could close his eyes for the next hundred years.

He said goodbye to Hermione and his younger sister as they went off in one direction, heading to their own lessons, as Harry continued on his way to Transfigurations. At least since he was on his own, he could allow his guard to drop. The moment he was sure that neither of the girls were looking at him, he allowed his shoulders to slump and his heavy eyes to close, resting them even as he walked along.

Harry probably would have walked to class with his eyes closed if it wasn't for the fact he bumped right into a firm chest as he turned a corner and arms came around him instantly, holding him in place. The familiar scent which invaded his senses told the Gryffindor exactly who he had bumped into and he didn't try and fight the arms around him. Instead, he snuggled closer to the warm material against his cheek and brought his arms around the person in return. "You missed breakfast." He mumbled against the chest quietly.

"Had it in Dumbledore's office; we had a meeting." Draco's voice answered beneath Harry's ear, the sound vibrating through his chest and against the dark haired young man's cheek. A pair of lips came down to press a kiss onto the head of long hair before they rose slightly and hovered just above. "You sound tired, did you not sleep well last night?"

"Hmm..." Harry sighed before giving a proper answer. "I've been having bad dreams." He had long before decided that he was going to go with that excuse to explain anything strange to his family.

"Visions?" Draco asked worriedly.

"Mmm...No, I don't think so, just bad dreams." The Gryffindor mumbled.

"You should ask Sev for some Dreamless Sleep if you're having nightmares and they're bothering you this much." The Veela advised his mate but merely got another non-committal grunt in reply. The blonde sighed before pecking a quick kiss to the side of the dark haired young man's head. He pulled away slightly and dropped one arm while the other stayed around Harry's shoulders. "Come on, we better get to class."

"Can't we just stand here for a few more hours?" Harry grinned weakly as he allowed himself to be led along.

"We'll hide out in my rooms during our free period and you can have a nap. You won't have to worry about bad dreams then, I'll be there keeping them away." Draco assured him gently as they walked down the corridor side by side.

12th October 1995: Evening

Screaming. Pain. Hate. Panic. Fear. Anger. Bravery. Cowardice.

Masked, black-cloaked figures everywhere. No where was safe.

Who are they? What's happening? Flashes of green, people falling to the floor, dead.

Where was He? He couldn't remember. Where was His family? Where was home?

Another flash of green.

No more.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

The second Harry woke up, his eyes were open and he was practically flying out the chair he had fallen asleep in by the fire in the Gryffindor common room. He earned himself several startled looks by the others around him but he paid them no mind, instead dashing straight over to the portrait hole. Bursting out of it with quite a bit of force, he narrowly escaped ploughing over a couple of Second Years and, probably a first for him, he didn't even take the time to call a quick sorry over his shoulder.

The vision he had just had, it hadn't happened yet. It would happen really soon, but it hadn't happened yet and that meant every second counted. One delay, no matter how small, could mean the difference between a life continuing or being lost. And Muggles as well! People who had no way of defending themselves against Death Eaters! It was terrible! And so many people would die, so many would be injured, and for what?

Harry wasn't going to let it happen. He'd go to Dumbledore and then he could tell the Aurors and they could get there before anything major kicked off. The Aurors would protect the Muggles and they might even manage to capture a few of the Death Eaters and hold them for questioning. All he had to do was get to the headmaster's office as quickly as possible...

Upon turning a corner and abruptly colliding with someone, Harry fought the desire to swear at whoever it was. Then, when he saw it was a frantic Blaise Zabini he had bumped into, his irritation left him and he went back to feeling nervous and worried.

"They're going to attack Muggles!" Blaise almost yelled desperately, clinging onto Harry's arm fearfully.

"Yes, yes, I know." Harry assured him quickly as he gently pulled his arm from the Slytherin's death grip.

"You do?"

"Yes, I had a vision about it just now. I'm on my way to tell Dumbledore." The Gryffindor went to continue his run then but paused and looked back to Zabini. "Do you know anything else about it?"

"Erm..." The younger teenager hesitated uneasily, obviously trying to think on his feet. "It's gonna happen this evening, at five, somewhere in Manchester. Father wants Bethany to pass the message onto Spari, he's got a Portkey so he and several others can join the attack."

"Right, good." Harry nodded. "Do you know anything else? The number of Death Eaters roughly?"

Blaise shook his head, looking suddenly regretful. "No, I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter, you did good." The dark haired young man praised the teenager hurriedly. "Listen Blaise," he said, accidently using the boy's first name. "I want you to go back down to the dungeons and tell your sister everything you need to. You have to act like nothing is different, like everything is completely normal, it's just another message from your father to her. I'll take care of the rest, okay? I don't want you to feel guilty or responsible for this." With that, he reached forward and placed a hand on the Slytherin's shoulder. "You've done your bit by coming and telling me about everything you can. Just remember to stay normal, right?"

Blaise nodded numbly but before Harry could offer more praise, a call from behind him caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder quickly and saw John and Ron heading his way quickly and he bit back a groan; this was going to delay him even more.

"Go now." He whispered to Blaise quickly as he dropped his hand and moved around the teenager. The Slytherin did as he was told and sprinted away, heading in the direction which would take him back down to the dungeons. Harry watched him go for a second before turning himself and starting to run again.

"Oi, Harry!" John called after him in protest, obviously thinking that his older brother was running away from him.

"I've no time at the moment John; later." Harry called over his shoulder.

"But what were you doing talking to Zabini?" The Potter yelled.

"It was nothing." The elder insisted before disappearing around a corner.

Luckily, that was the last distraction and Harry did not have to stop again until he reached Dumbledore's office.

13th October 1995: Early Morning

A long, drawn out yawn rushed past Harry's lips as he pulled back the curtains surrounding his bed. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers as a sharp tapping on glass, which was the original cause for him waking up, continued to annoy him. It had been an extremely long day, what with all the stress and drama of the Death Eater attack on the Muggles, (which had thankfully been stopped before it could really begin thanks to the Aurors) and Harry had practically fallen into a coma the moment his head had hit the pillow. Now was not the time to be woken by incessant tapping on the dorm room window. How the other two young men in the room were sleeping through it was a mystery but was something Harry was insanely jealous of.

Harry plodded over to the window in a semi-conscious state, his eyes still half closed and his glasses still resting on the table beside his bed. Somehow he managed to get the window open without looking and allowed an owl, who had been the one pecking on the window, to enter and settle on the end of the bed closest to it. Without speaking, Harry simply glared at the bird and untied the roll of parchment which was attached to one of its legs. The owl didn't move and Harry looked at it carefully.

"You can't seriously be waiting for a reply?" He muttered to the bird. The owl just gave a small hoot.

Harry muttered under his breath about people not respecting his sleep as he untied the cord around the parchment and unfurled it none too carefully. He brought it right up close to his face so he didn't have to bother to put his glasses on and read the slightly fuzzy script:

I'm going mad down here, I need to see you right now

B.Z.

A reluctant sigh left Harry as he trudged over to his school bag which rested on the floor beside his trunk. He got down on his knees and rooted around inside it for a few moments before pulling out a quill and a pot of ink. After dipping the nib of the quill into the ink, he scratched a very simple "kay" at the bottom before dropping the quill back into his bag carelessly and putting the ink back in a bit more carefully. Then, he got back to his feet and tied the note back onto the owls leg before taking it over to the window and giving it a boost in its flight.

Without further delay, Harry plodded towards the dorm room door, grabbing his dressing gown as he passed it and pulling it on as he left.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"There you are!" Zabini gasped as Harry entered the Astronomy Tower slowly, guiding the door shut behind him. "Merlin Snape, I am freaking out! I keep thinking about everything which might have happened and all the people who might've been hurt and..."

"No one was hurt." Harry interrupted him, his voice slightly slurred from his lack of sleep.

"Huh?" Blaise asked slightly dumbly, obviously not expecting to hear that.

"The Aurors managed to get there just in time; the Death Eaters had gathered but nothing had happened." Harry explained as he walked further into the area. "There was a bit of a scuffle and an Auror or two received minor injuries but other than that things went fine. No Muggles were injured and several Death Eaters were arrested so, all in all, a triumph for the Light I think."

"Really?" The Slytherin asked, as though the information was too much to hope for.

"Yep, Dumbledore told me after dinner." The dark haired young man assured as he sat himself on a ledge of one of the alcoves.

"Oh Harry, that's awesome!" Blaise said excitedly, obviously forgetting himself by using the Gryffindor's first name, as he bounced over to the older teenager. "We stopped them! We stopped them together! Thank you so much!" He gushed excitedly, stopping extremely close to the older teen.

And then, something Harry would never have expected happened; Blaise leaned in to kiss him. It was a complete surprise but one that the Gryffindor thankfully managed to recognise before lip contact was actually made. Instead, the young man easily leaned back as the younger teenager leaned forward. After a second, the Slytherin opened his eyes and looked at the older boy with a slightly startled expression on his face, obviously surprised to have been turned down.

"I really don't think that would be the best idea." Harry told him gently, slowly straightening back up and making Blaise copy him in the process.

A bright blush lit up the teenager's face and he quickly stepped backwards and looked away, obviously completely embarrassed by what he had just done. "Erm, yeah, right. I-I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking..." He began to stammer awkwardly.

Harry smiled very slightly in amusement but quickly hid it before, reaching forward and resting a hand on the Slytherin's shoulder. That stopped Blaise mid-sentence and then, very carefully, he lifted his gaze to look at the Gryffindor. "We'll forget about it." He assured. "But I did like the fact you called me Harry. You can do that again if you want."

"Really?" The teenager asked hopefully.

"Of course, just as long as I can call you Blaise."

"Sure!" Blaise gasped excitedly, then seemed to remember himself. He coughed lightly and went back to being slightly awkward and embarrassed. "That is, I mean...Um..."

The dark haired young man did chuckle then and, thankfully, the Slytherin seemed to appreciate it as he smiled as well and gave a small chuckle. The tension from before melted and left the two teenagers content and comfortable with the presence of the other.

25th October 1995: Midday

It was freezing cold and it was snowing which, common sense told Him, meant He was outside. And, opening His eyes and looking around, it became clear that, indeed, he was outside. It was night time, the sky black and cloudy, the trees around Him nothing but black silhouettes and the snow almost glowing in the darkness.

He was on His knees, leaning forward to support His weight on His hands. There was someone beside Him with a hand on His shoulder. Turning His head slightly, He thought it saw a familiar shaped face and familiar brown eyes looking at Him in concern through the darkness.

Suddenly, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, there was a horrible bang, a lot like a very heavy door smacking into something equally as solid and heavy. He stood from where He was kneeling, along with the person beside Him, and looked around slightly frantically to see a couple of dozen metres away from Him was a massive, dark, imposing building.

The person beside Him clutched His arm tightly and after that nothing moved. For long moments after that, nothing more happened but the nervous atmosphere didn't relax. The stress getting to Him a little too much, He slowly walked forward, His arm falling out of the grip of the other and allowing him to continue forward freely. Around Him it was silent again and the snow continued to fall, frequently landing on Him and chilling His skin. After a few moments of walking, He looked down at his hands and was unsurprised at the sight which greeted Him; they were stained with thick trickles of some black and viscous substance.

From somewhere in the darkness, an almost inhuman roared scream echoed around Him. He continued walking none the less. Everything around faded to black...

()()()()()()()()()()()()

As the last few glimpses of the dream faded into nothingness, Harry became aware of one main fact; he was not in a bed. Instead, he was slumped over something hard and rather uncomfortable, sitting on an equally hard and uncomfortable seat. And then it hit him. He was in class!

In a second Harry's eyes were open and he was sitting up straight, looking around himself quickly to make sure no one had noticed. Unfortunately, luck was never on his side and the whole classroom, including Lucius as the class was DADA, was looking at him. His eyes flickered onto his godfather to try and gage his reaction but the blonde man had his social face on and was giving nothing about himself away.

"Asleep in my class Snape?" Lucius asked coolly from where he was standing at the front. Harry merely lowered his eyes and wished for the ground to swallow him. Next to him, he heard Draco give a low sound of annoyance. "No answer? Then you'll just have to stay behind once everyone has left to explain yourself."

Harry felt slightly better upon hearing that; it was more likely that he wasn't going to get into trouble now. If his godfather had been really annoyed with him, the man would not have hesitated to assign a detention and call it a detention. The fact he said "stay behind" meant it was more than likely that he only wanted a word.

Despite believing that however, Harry still felt nervous and twitchy for the rest of the lesson. At several points, Draco had taken his hand under the table and given it a squeeze, no doubt as a reassurance of some kind, but it did him no good and he remained as nervous as before. Then, finally, when the class ended and people began to leave while Harry and Draco stayed seated, the Gryffindor's heart began to run a mile a minute. Even when he looked at Lucius and saw concern rather than anger it did nothing to help calm him. Things only got worse when Lucius stopped one of the students and asked them to take a message down to Severus in the dungeons. Yep, his heart just about burst out of his chest when he over-heard that.

"Love, calm down, you'll start hyper-ventilating or something if you don't." Draco told him in a calm tone as he brought a hand up to rub soothing circles on the dark haired young man's lower back. It did help and allowed Harry to keep his breathing under control but his heart continued to try and escape from behind his rib-cage.

"We'll wait until your father arrives to begin Haryon." Lucius told him as he strolled over to the two young men and took a seat on the edge of the desk to their right. "There is little point in going over things more than once."

Harry said nothing to that but did manage to nod his head weakly. Once again, Draco took his hand and gave it a squeeze but then continued to hold onto it rather than let go as he had done so before. From then on, the three sat in silence, none of them looking at the others. Then, the silence was abruptly broken with the entrance of Severus.

The Potions Master took one look at the occupants of the room before sighing and heading straight over to Harry. "What is it that's happened now?"

"Haryon felt the need to fall asleep during class." Lucius answered, giving his godson a pointed look. "I don't know how long he was asleep for but I realised when calling on him for an answer and I got nothing in reply." He turned to Draco then and gave him a disapproving look. "Did you not think it wise to wake him up?"

"Look, if he needed the sleep badly enough to fall asleep in your class then I think he needed it bad enough to warrant not being disturbed." Draco replied with a frown.

"Have you been having trouble sleeping Haryon?" Severus asked the dark haired young man sympathetically, stopping the two Malfoys from getting into an argument. Harry only nodded slightly. "Why?"

"I..." Harry hesitated, knowing he couldn't tell the truth but still, for a moment, almost automatically saying it. From automatically lying just a few years ago, he was now in the habit of automatically telling the truth and to break that habit suddenly was rather difficult. "I've been having dreams."

"Just dreams?" His father checked carefully.

"I'm not sure." Harry admitted. "Some of them are visions and others...Others I'm not sure about."

A short pause took them over then as Severus thought over this new information carefully while Lucius and Draco waited for the decision. Harry shifted slightly anxiously just before the Potions professor spoke once again: "I feel I must agree with Draco; if you felt the need to fall asleep in class then things are obviously quite serious. That being the case, I want you to take the rest of the day off. Draco shall inform your teachers of why you are absent and, if any work is set he shall collect it for you. With your time off, I want you to return to your dorm room and try and get as much sleep as possible. However, I will expect to see you at dinner, understand?"

"Yes Father." The dark haired teenager agreed quietly.

"If you have no luck in resting this afternoon, come to me after dinner and I will get you some Dreamless Sleep but that will only be if you have not managed to get a decent amount of sleep."

"All right."

"Good." Severus said gently. "Away with you now then and go straight to your dorm room."

Harry nodded once again as he stood and left without another word. He felt the eyes of the three Slytherins on him as he left and felt no surprise in the fact that none of them seemed to be making a move to leave the classroom as well; they were no doubt going to linger behind in order to discuss this 'new' development. Not that the Gryffindor was particularly offended by that or even cared all that much. After all, he now had his own secrets again.

The dark haired teenager was completely ready to do as his father had instructed and retreat to his dorm room for the rest of the afternoon. However, when he turned in the direction needed to lead him back to Gryffindor Tower, his vision clouded suddenly as a vision took him over. For a few seconds, the young man just stood there with empty eyes, staring unseeing at nothing, and it was during this time that Lucius, Severus and Draco came out of the DADA classroom.

"Haryon, I thought I told you to go straight to your room." Severus began to scold him as he walked closer to his son. Upon reaching him though, he saw the blank look in his eyes and the way he appeared to be staring at something none of them could see. "Haryon?"

"What is he doing?" Lucius asked with a concerned frown.

"He might be having a vision." Draco pointed out as he rushed to his mates side, ready to catch the Gryffindor if he suddenly collapsed.

"Ugh, why is that bloody priest of his never around when you need him." Severus growled irritably.

Then, as abruptly as Harry's vision had begun, it had ended. He gave a small gasp as everything returned to him in the usual rush and his eyes widened with a look of realisation. Without warning, he turned in the opposite direction to what he was facing and then dashed off, towards the dungeons. The calls of his family behind him went unheeded as the Gryffindor ran quickly to where his vision had instructed him to go.

He had forgotten! He could not believe he had forgotten! Granted it had been years ago that he had seen it but it had been so suspicious at the time that it really was mind-boggling that it had been so easily cast from his mind. How could Dumbledore not know? It was there, right under his nose, for at least six years, and the Headmaster didn't know about it. No one knew about it, until just that second when he'd had his vision. And now he had to get it as quickly as possible so it could be dealt with immediately, making them that one step closer to peace.

Harry's legs took him to the mostly disused part of the dungeons, more precisely to the classroom where he had heard Peter Pettigrew talking to Voldemort in the fireplace; Merlin that seemed like such a long time ago now. All the way he was followed by his family, Severus and Lucius lagging behind slightly but Draco right up there with him, never quite catching up to him but often getting very close. When the dark haired young man reached the door he needed, he didn't even pause before grabbing the handle and pushing it open, allowing him entrance into the room. Again, he did not stop and instead ran straight over to the fire place. Once there, he got down onto his knees and began to push away the gathered soot.

Entering as quickly as Harry had, Draco skidded to an abrupt stop a foot or so behind where the Gryffindor was anxiously pushing away the soot. "Harry, what is it? What's wrong?"

Harry didn't need to answer verbally as he found what it was he had been looking for. Carefully, he pulled the object out of the bed of soot and lifted it up. It was a golden chalice, though the gold did not shine and was dulled, no doubt by the soot. It was full to the brim with the black ash and so Harry held it over the fire place and emptied it out. When that was done, he began to search it, looking for the mark he had seen in his vision. By the time he eventually located the mark, Severus and Lucius had joined him and Draco in the room. Under their watchful gazes, the dark haired young man wiped away a spot of soot on the cup of the chalice, just below the brim. When it was gone, it left behind the revealed engraved letters of HH.

A soft, triumphant smile graced Harry's face as he looked down at the cup in his hand; five Horcruxes down, two more to go.

"Haryon?" Severus said carefully as he stepped closer to his son upon seeing that the teenager had stopped moving.

Harry remembered himself then and he quickly stood up straight before turning to the Potions Master. He gave the man a reassuring smile before holding out Hufflepuff's Cup for him. "You've been looking for this?" He said sweetly, his tone inquiring but in a purely innocent way.

Both Lucius and Severus hesitated at that, obviously unsure with how to proceed with the situation. After all, they didn't know what Harry had seen in his vision or how much he now knew and they imagined that if the Gryffindor knew about the secrecy, he would be angry with them. And so, they continued to hesitate, Severus not accepting the Horcrux and Lucius looking as though he desperately wanted to explain everything and anything Harry wanted to know.

Harry did the decent thing however and saved the two men from themselves. He simply stepped forward, closing the distance between him and his father and pressed the chalice into the Potion Master's hand, quite willing to hold it there until the man accepted it. "Here you go."

"Haryon, this..." Severus began to explain but stopped when Harry shook his head.

"I don't need to know." Harry assured him gently before taking his hands away, leaving Hufflepuff's Cup in his father's hands.

No questions were asked, no doubt because the two men were more than relieved that they hadn't needed to explain anything or get into trouble with the young man. They all simply left, in silence, Lucius closing the door firmly behind himself as he was the last one to leave.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

9th November 1995: Morning

"Harry, you'd do me a favour if I asked you, right?"

It was a strange greeting but definitely one which caught Harry's attention. He looked up from his plate of breakfast which rested in front of him on the Gryffindor table where he was sitting alone to see that Hermione had seated herself beside him as she had spoken and was now looking at him earnestly. The fact she had asked him such a question had put the young man on guard and he looked at her somewhat suspiciously.

"Well, it depends on what it is..." He said carefully.

"Ron, John and I were talking last night," Hermione began to explain. "And we all agreed that, now that Voldemort's been resurrected, we're all in more danger than ever and we don't think that us and the other students are being taught the skills we need to sufficiently defend ourselves."

"So you want me to have a word with Uncle Lucius? Get him to tweak the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum a bit?" Harry guessed as he went to cut a bit of his sausage off.

"Actually, we were thinking of forming our own class and we wondered if you'd be interested in helping us teach." The girl answered.

Harry paused all action at that, a speared bit of sausage held half way up to his mouth. He gave his House mate a surprised look and then lowered his fork. "You want to form your own class? Do you honestly think that's going to be allowed?"

"Who says any of the professors are going to know?"

"Right, so you want to form a class, in complete secrecy, and have me help you three in teaching things? You do realise that's against too many of the school's rules to count, right?" Harry pointed out, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

"I've found that most of the things we do together are against the school rules in some shape or form." Hermione countered with a small smirk.

Harry shook his head slightly and gave a wry laugh. "John's ruined you."

"Hardly, but come on, tell me, what do you think?" Hermione asked, dismissing Harry's comment easily.

The older teenager sighed tiredly and leaned forward, propping his head up on his hand. "What, exactly, would I be required to teach?"

"Well, we were thinking that you could handle defense as you're a pacifist and if you agree we'll probably ask Malfoy if he wants to lend you a hand in it." The girl explained. "Ron has combat tactics and John and I have offence. We'd all be present in all the meetings to help with demonstrations or anything else so you won't be left completely alone to do something."

"That's something I suppose." Harry grunted unenthusiastically.

"Please say you'll help us Harry." Hermione pleaded, reaching forward and taking his hand in a firm grip. "We really need your help in this, we can't do it alone."

Harry gave the girl a withering look, clearly unimpressed with how he was being manipulated, before sighing and nodding his head. "All right."

"Really?" She gasped in glee.

"Yes, really." Harry confirmed slightly grudgingly despite the fact the girl was delighted had cheered him up about the situation a great deal.

"Oh, thank you!" Hermione cried as she practically threw herself into Harry's arms, wrapping him in a tight hug of gratitude. Harry brought an arm around her back and patted her gently, not really in the best position to return the hug any better.

"Not interrupting anything, am I?" Draco's voice suddenly said and the two Gryffindors separated and looked to see that the Luna Veela was but a few feet away from them and walking ever closer. He looked calm and collect as usual but there was a tiny hint of something in his eyes which hinted at the fact that he could very easily getting angry with what he had just seen.

"Hermione was just thanking me for agreeing to help her with something." Harry told his mate with a reassuring smile.

"Yes, and I want to ask you the same thing Malfoy..." Hermione began to say.

"Perhaps later." Draco told her with a pointed look which she seemed to understand as a look or realisation crossed her face moments before it was gone again. Harry was completely confused by what had just passed between the two and he looked from one to the other, trying to pick up on any little thing which might aid him in figuring the silent message out. "Let's go for a walk, yeah?" The blonde Veela suggested with a smile suddenly as he abruptly took Harry's arm and pulled him up onto his feet before leading him towards the entrance to the Great Hall even before the Gryffindor had a chance to reply.

"What? But Draco, it's cold!" The dark haired young man protested as he tried to pull his arm free.

"Then it'll help perk you up." The Veela replied easily as they neared the front entrance of the school.

"I don't need perking up, I'm perfectly perky at the moment thank you." Harry insisted. "C'mon Hermione, surely you'd rather be sitting in a nice, warm library instead of traipsing around in the cold, outside?" He tried, turning his head to look at the younger girl.

"No, actually, I have to agree with Malfoy, I'm quite in the mood for a brisk walk." She answered in a matter-of-fact tone just as they left the school building, stepping out into the crisp, morning air.

"Then why don't you two walk together and I'll go back inside?" The older Gryffindor grumbled as he gave up his struggles and walked dejectedly beside his mate, his free arm coming around his waist to hug himself in a vain attempt to ward out some of the cold.

"I don't think we should have left." A familiar voice suddenly came from behind, making all three teenagers stop in their tracks.

"You're right; Harry's got way too whiney without us."Another voice agreed just as the young man in question turned around, his eyes lighting up at the two people standing in front of him.

"Fred! George!" He gasped happily, Draco releasing his arm and allowing him to run up to his two friends to hug them. "What are you both doing here?" He asked, pulling away to look at them.

"We decided to give ourselves a mental health day." Fred grinned.

"And Draco here suggested we come visit." George revealed.

Harry's jaw dropped and he turned around to look at his Luna Veela. "You knew they were coming?"

"Why else do you think I insisted on coming out here in this ghastly weather?" Draco inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"And I take it you knew as well?" The dark haired Gryffindor asked Hermione, giving her a pointed look.

"I may have been made aware of certain future events in order to add some extra validity to the situation." She replied with a small grin of her own.

"So you were all plotting against me?" Harry summarised with good humour.

"Yep, we were all against you." Fred agreed as he slung an arm over his friend's shoulder.

"Now," George said, copying his brother and slinging an arm around Harry's shoulder as well. "Tell us; just exactly how popular are our products with the population of Hogwarts?"

9th November 1995: Midday

Fred and George had always been popular. People liked them for their playful, easy-going natures and their senses of humour. However, the amount of people from all the Houses who had gathered around the Gryffindor table to pay attention to the Weasley twins was rather astonishing. Dozens of people stood around the immediate area where the two Weasleys were sitting with Harry, Ron, John and Hermione and they were all listening intently to anything the two young men had to say. Harry was simply glad that it was not him for once who was at the end of all the attention.

Smiling at one joke that George had just cracked, Harry turned his head back to the front and reached out for his goblet to take a sip of pumpkin juice. It was while he was doing that, that a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning his head to right to look over to the entrance of the Great Hall, the Gryffindor was mostly unsurprised to see that it was Blaise Zabini standing there, discreetly trying to get his attention. When their eyes met, the older teenager gave a small nod which was picked up by the younger. The Slytherin gave a nod of his own before turning and leaving the entrance of the Great Hall, disappearing from view as he went to wait just outside.

Harry glanced away from where Blaise had been, back to the crowd beside himself, to check that no one was paying attention to him. Thankfully, because of Fred and George, no one was even looking in his direction. So, going carefully and slowly as to not draw sudden attention to himself, the Gryffindor shuffled along the length of the bench he was sitting on, away from the crowd at the table. When he judged that he was far enough away, he climbed over it and then hurried out of the Great Hall. Once out, he made a bee-line straight over to the Slytherin boy who was waiting patiently by the left wall.

"What is it?" Harry asked quietly as he reached Blaise.

"I did that research you wanted and it seems more than likely the final Horcrux is the Dark Lord's familiar." Baise told him in an equally hushed tone.

"Seriously?" The older teenager gasped. Having a living thing as a Horcrux; he had never considered that possibility before. Was it possible? "How did you find out?"

"I asked my father how the Dark Lord survived the first time you faced him and he told me a bit about the Horcruxes. Even he admitted it's just a rumour among the Death Eaters but I thought you should know anyway."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad you told me, it's something to work with at least. Anything else?"

"No, that's it for now."

"All right. Thanks for telling me, I appreciate the risk you're putting yourself at." Harry said with a smile.

Before Blaise could reply, a familiar voice which the Gryffindor had not had the pain of hearing for a month or so came from behind. "What are you guys talking about?"

Harry turned then and saw Bethany walking over to them. Only, he thought it was Bethany. A part of him was doubting it because, strangely, she was smiling cheerfully and her tone had held no malice in it at all. In fact, it had sounded rather friendly which surely couldn't be right. Bethany Zabini, being anything other than cold and vicious when in Harry's company? Something wasn't normal, that was for sure.

"Is that really any of your business?" Harry asked the girl smoothly, his tone neither friendly or harsh.

Bethany shrugged at that question. "I was just curious. You both seem to pop up together every so often and I was just wondering what it is you talk about." She smiled at Harry then, what appeared to be a true, genuine smile. "Thanks for keeping my brother company Harry, I do worry about the amount of time he spends with those two lumbering beef-cakes he calls friends."

"Did you just call me Harry?" The dark haired young man gasped in disbelief. He sent a look to Blaise who looked just as confused as the Gryffindor so Harry was assured that whatever it was that was happening, it wasn't something the male Zabini was aware of.

"Look, I know I've been a complete bitch to you in the past and I apologise for it. I really want us to be friends now Harry, put the past behind us and everything, you know?" Bethany said sincerely, leaving Harry's mind boggling.

Luckily, before Harry even had to begin the struggle of wondering exactly what to say in reply, a presence suddenly came behind him as the voice of Draco spoke: "What's going on?"

"Nothing, we were just talking." Bethany assured as she held her hands up in front of herself as a gesture of innocence. Whatever it was that Draco did from his position behind Harry was enough to make the girl swallow and then make a hasty retreat. "Oh well, c'mon Blaise, let's go get some lunch." She said as she took her younger brother's hand and led him away, past Harry and Draco. Harry made sure to catch Blaise's gaze as he passed, sending a silent message through his stare that he wanted to know what was going on. The younger teenager seemed to understand as he gave a swift nod before hurrying along with his sister.

The two remaining Seventh Years watched them go and it was only when they had disappeared into the Great Hall that Draco broke the silence. "What did they want?"

"I have no idea." Harry answered, half truthfully. "Blaise asked me to talk to him for a moment and then Bethany joined us and acted as though we were the best of friends. She called me Harry, Draco. She actually called me Harry!"

Draco's eyes hardened suspiciously at that and he turned that glare onto the open doors of the Great Hall. "I want you to keep your guard up around those two Harry, they're up to something."

"Hmm." Harry hummed by way of agreement as he looked towards the open doors as well. Bethany was no doubt up to something and it was probably nothing good. Hopefully, Blaise would be able to find out exactly what his sister plan is quickly before anything had a chance of happening.

"Oh well," Draco sighed, sounding much more calm and relaxed now as he took Harry's hand in his. The Gryffindor looked up up at the Veela and a quick kiss was placed on his lips. "Shall we get something to eat? I'm sure the fact that Fred and George are here visiting will provide more than..." The Slytherin continued to talk as he led Harry towards the entrance of the Great Hall and the Gryffindor half listened as he also considered the various explanations for what had just occurred with the two Zabinis.

10th November 1995: Early Morning

Slumped against the side of an alcove, Harry had fallen into a light doze while he had waited for Blaise to arrive. Once again, it had been just as the Gryffindor had been getting ready for bed that an owl had arrived with a request that they meet and so, dutifully, he had replied and arrived. He had got there before the Slytherin and had quickly seated himself and got comfortable. Probably a little too comfortable as he was rapidly falling asleep.

However, when a rather loud slam came, Harry instantly woke, his eyes opening and his head rising just in time to see Blaise walk into his line of sight. "Sorry to have kept you waiting." The younger teenager apologised, walking closer.

Harry shook his head as he yawned widely, one hand waving away the apology while the other politely covered his mouth. "Doesn't matter, you're here now. So, I'm going to take a wild guess here and assume this is about your sister's strange behaviour today? Or yesterday." He corrected himself after moment.

"Yeah." Blaise said with a nod. "It seems we weren't as careful with keeping our meetings discreet as we first might've thought. People have noticed and it all alerted Beth. She told our father and, apparently, he thinks I'm using my initiative in gaining your trust in order to betray you to the Dark Lord. He told Bethany to try and do the same so that when the time comes, we have a better chance of capturing you."

"I knew it had to be something like that." The Gryffindor sighed, not in the least surprised by the news. "You're expected to carry on as normal I take it?" Blaise nodded. "All right then, that's what we'll do. Don't stop showing an interest in the Death Eaters and collecting information and make out that you're setting me up for a betrayal. We might actually be able to make this work in our favour."

"Really? How?"

"I'm not sure at the moment. Ask me in a few weeks." Harry grinned lightly.

18th November 1995: Afternoon

"Hello?" Harry called into Severus' living room as he slowly crept in. When no answer came, he tried again. "Father?" Still no answer. Silently guiding the portrait shut behind himself, the Gryffindor paused for a moment, standing in complete silence. Then, when he was completely satisfied that the quarters were empty, he gave a small grin of triumph and hurried forward, further into the room.

It was Harry's one free period and he was going to take advantage of the fact that his father would still be busy teaching his final class of the day. He was going to sneak another peak at the Potion Master's pensieve. Although Draco was rather good at keeping him aware of what was going on in a sort of vague, not-really-saying-anything manner, the Gryffindor still liked to keep up to date with things himself, seeing them and hearing them as they actually happened. Plus, according to the blonde, there had been some sort of disagreement that morning during a meeting they had all had which the Head of Slytherin would no doubt have wanted to get out of his mind as soon as possible. Draco didn't tell Harry any of the details to which the dark haired young man was infinitely curious about and determined to discover fully for himself. Was it an invasion of Severus' personal, private matters? Yes, but then if the man would just tell his son what was going on in the first place, it wouldn't be necessary.

Harry wasted no time in seeking out Severus' pensieve, not knowing how long exactly he would have to pull the whole thing off in a safe amount of time. Upon reaching it, the Gryffindor fell straight in and, indeed, came up in the memory which seemed to be the meeting that morning...

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"...All I'm saying is that he should be trusted with more information." Draco finished saying to Severus, his tone almost pleading. To the side Lucius was casually leaning against the edge of a desk, his arms folded across his chest in a comfortable manner. When the Potions Master gave no answer, remaining standing beside the right-hand row of chairs and desks, the Luna Veela, who was standing just in front of the entrance into the Potions classroom, continued. "He's my age Sev and you've trusted me to be involved in all of this."

"Because of what you are Draco; it's safer for everyone if you are aware and involved with what is going on." Severus replied stiffly, not looking at the teenager.

"But he could help us all so much!" Draco cried in exasperation. "He'd be more successful in locating the whereabouts of the Horcruxes, he'd be able to help us plan a method for defeating the Dark Lord, he could..."

"I will not have Haryon exposed to such stress." The dark haired man insisted firmly.

"You're acting as though he's some defenceless child who can't look after himself. He's faced the Dark Lord completely on his own four times now; four times Sev! And each time he's come through well enough to tell the tale. Plus all the other drama he's been put through the last couple of years. He'd be able to cope with this all."

"My point is that he should not have to cope with it." Severus bit back sharply, obviously starting to lose his patience. "The prophecy says nothing about Haryon having to fight and if anything he will be at more risk if he becomes involved with all of this. He is not necessary in this situation and I will not bring him into this war."

"He is already a part of this war; he is the reason for this war!" Draco yelled angrily, his gesturing hands sharp and quick. When he got absolutely no reply to that, he shook his head in disgust. "I have to meet Harry." He said simply before turning and leaving the classroom.

Both Severus and Lucius watched the teenager go and when the door had shut behind him, the Potions Master spoke: "Can you believe the audacity of that boy?"

"Actually, I think Draco made a rather good point." Lucius said slowly as though to do so would lessen the pain. "We are treating Haryon as though he is a child unable to comprehend the severity of the situation. Surely it is time he was trusted the with the truth."

"No, I will not put the stress on him." Severus repeated his argument adamantly, glaring off at the side, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation.

Lucius looked across the room at the Potions Master sympathetically before he straightened up and walked over to him. Stopping right in front of him, the blonde man brought up his hand and cupped the pale cheek. "He is no longer a young boy Severus, do you not think it's time for you to allow him to fend for himself?"

"I am not going to have this conversation." Severus insisted suddenly as he moved away from Lucius, dislodging the hand on his cheek in the process. He then stopped several paces away, his back towards the aristocrat.

"For goodness sake Severus," Lucius snapped, his patience obviously breaking as he lost all signs of sympathy. "This is not about protecting Haryon, this is about you being afraid that if you give him but an inch of independence he will leave you. He is seventeen years old, a legal adult, and yet you still persist in wrapping him in cotton wool and shielding him from the world as though he is a defenceless dame. You have to let him go!"

"Leave Lucius." The black haired man ordered stiffly.

"You don't want to hear it because it's true Severus." The blonde replied, his tone hard and annoyed.

"Get out!" Severus yelled angrily, spinning around and glaring darkly at the other man.

For several moments the two Slytherins stood glaring at each other. Then, eventually, it was Lucius who moved first, doing as he was told and leaving the room. He flung open the door, disappeared through it and then slammed it shut behind himself, the sound echoing around the classroom. When the echoes faded, Severus slumped wearily against one of the desk, supporting his weight on his left arm as he brought his right hand up to cover his face.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

When Harry came out of the pensieve, his heart ached like it never had before and he felt tears in his eyes. He swallowed against them and the lump in his throat before giving a sigh. His father...His poor father...

The sound of a nearby door opening and then being closed again came suddenly and Harry knew that Severus must've just entered the Potions classroom and the sound of the door had, indeed, successfully made it across the length of the classroom and through the open door to the Potion Master's quarters. Quickly, Harry put the pensieve away, took a second to make sure everything was exactly as he left it and then dashed back into the living room, practically jumping onto the sofa and then taking up a natural position, curled up in a corner.

Seconds passed before Severus entered and his greeting was a softly spoken: "What are you doing here?"

Harry turned his head to look at the man who was his father and noted sadly that he looked tired and drained and decidedly depressed. The Gryffindor felt his heart take another stab but forced a smile on his face nonetheless, in order to not arouse suspicion. "I came to spend some time with you."

Severus gave no indication that he felt either pleased or annoyed with that, his face set with a cool mask of indifference. It was a positive sign though as the fact Harry had not been out-right dismissed meant that his father was open to his presence on some level. The Gryffindor watched silently as the dark haired professor moved further into the room and around the edge of the sofa. It was then the young man shuffled up to give the older a space to sit down.

However, acting in a manner which would no doubt completely surprise Severus, the moment the man had sat down, Harry was leaning against him, cuddling up to his side and resting his head on his father's shoulder. Indeed, Harry did feel Severus tense beneath him for a moment and he began to wonder just how much that morning had affected the man's out-look. True, it had been a very long time since the Gryffindor had cuddled with his father in such a manner without there being some great crisis in their lives but surely it wasn't that strange to cause the man to stiffen in such a way?

Luckily, slowly, Severus seemed to relax with the idea and his arm came around Harry in a comforting hold. The dark haired teenager gave a soft smile before snuggling as close as he could, an arm of his own coming up around Severus' chest as he buried his face in the nook it created, mindful of his glasses though.

A hand came to rest on top of his head then and a gentle petting started up just as the deep rumble of Severus voice vibrated through his chest: "Haryon...Is everything all right?" He murmured gently, the hand in the long locks of hair pausing after a moment.

"Now that I'm with you they are." Harry whispered against the warm expanse of clothed chest beneath his cheek, though in the silence of the room it could be heard fairly easily. "Because I love you and as long as you're near me, I'll know I'll always be all right."

"Haryon..."

"I don't care what people say I should do, I don't care if I'm supposed to "be a man" and go off to lead my own life; that's not what I want. I want you, I'll always want you...Because you're the one I love the most." The teenager declared softly but confidently, his tone sure and allowing there to be no argument.

The man Harry was half laying on gave no reply to that and for several moments, the Gryffindor doubted exactly how his words had been taken. However, when he felt something wet fall onto the top of his head and he was suddenly heaved up the body underneath his so that he was fully in Severus' arms, he knew his words had worked. The message had been conveyed, the promise had been acknowledged and all of it was accepted.

As a kiss was pressed against the top of his head, a smile graced Harry's lips and he closed his eyes in relaxation. Everything really would be all right.

18th November 1995: Night

Harry greeted Draco with a bright smile as the Slytherin opened the door to his private Head Boy room. The dark haired young man entered, standing on his tip-toes for a moment in order to press a quick kiss onto the Veela's lips as he passed and, it was when he did that, that a certain scent caught the blonde's attention. "You smell like Sev."

"Hmm, not surprising since I've just spent the entire afternoon and evening with him. Why do you think I missed dinner?" He asked as he headed straight over to the bed, promptly slumping down on it easily.

"I wasn't at dinner either, I was researching." Draco answered as he closed the door. "But why do you smell of him so much? Just being in his room or even sitting next to him shouldn't affect your scent to such an extreme."

"He needed cuddling, he was depressed by what happened this morning."

"Ah." Was the only reply Draco gave to that.

"I really wish you wouldn't say that sort of thing to Father." Harry sighed lightly. "It really does upset him more than he lets on."

"But doesn't it annoy you? The fact he's keeping something so important from you." Draco inquired as he came to sit beside where the dark haired young man was stretched across the bed.

"No, because I understand his reasons for doing so. Though I do wish he would tell me if only so he doesn't have to burden himself with it all. But I suppose, in a way, it makes him feel better about it all and as long as you keep giving me hints about what's going on it doesn't really matter that he doesn't tell me anything."

"You're far more forgiving than I am." The blonde sighed as he reached out and ran a hand down the length of his mate's spine.

"Yes, I know I am." Harry grinned playfully as he rolled onto his side and slung an arm over the Veela's lap, his cheek stopping to rest against the young man's hip. "I hope it's not something you get from Uncle Lucius otherwise Father's going to be depressed for a while yet."

"I think they'll make up fairly promptly." Draco assured in a lazy tone as he lay down as well. Harry immediately snaked himself up further so their faces were inches away from each other. "It doesn't sound like it was a major disagreement and they just need to swallow their pride. I don't think that will take too long considering their relationship."

"Do you think they love each other?" The dark haired teenager inquired, speaking what he had always been asking himself.

"I think they do in a way. I don't think it's like ours though. I think it's more like they're very good friends with benefits rather then actual lovers." The blonde answered easily.

"That's probably a good thing. If they bonded we'd be step-brothers."

The Veela wrinkled his nose at that. "Yes, that would be rather..." He paused, thinking of a suitable word to describe what he wanted to get across.

"Icky." Harry supplied with a grin.

"I was thinking more along the lines of controversial but whatever." Draco chuckled lightly.

"I wouldn't care though." The dark haired young man sighed happily as he cuddled closer to his Veela. The blonde pulled him closer in reply and buried his nose in the long locks of shiny hair. "I'd still love you more than anything."

"Even more then your father?" Came the all to serious answer to that statement. Surprised, Harry pulled back slightly and looked at Draco straight in the eye. It didn't take an empath to realise that the blonde was completely serious about his question. He honestly thought that Harry loved Severus more than him.

"Draco, my love for you isn't the same love I have for my father." Harry told him gently, trying to figure out exactly where this jealousy in the blonde had sprung up from. "My father is the one who rescued me, who took me in without reason, who raised me. But you...You're my best friend, you're my lover, you're my mate. They're both completely different types of love, asking who I love more is like asking whether I like Divination more than jelly; neither has anything to do with the other." He paused and searched the Veela's face for any signs which might hint at what he was thinking. "Where has this all come from Draco? Have you always thought I love Father more than you?"

Draco looked away and gave a light shrug at that, a small blush colouring his cheeks. It was with that very simple response that something occurred to Harry. Perhaps, on a conscious level, Draco really didn't know where the question had come from or if he really did think he came second to Severus. Perhaps it was the Veela inside him objecting. Harry shared no blood with Severus, there was no link between them at a genetic level. Perhaps the Veela part of Draco was picking up on that and disregarding the actual relationship and instead focusing on the, (sort of) possible relationship which could be. After all, if Harry and Severus were strangers there would be nothing stopping them from becoming a couple, they weren't related on a genetic level and that was probably the only level the Veela was currently caring about.

Feeling more reassured with the situation now he had that theory in his mind, Harry gave a light chuckle before snuggling against Draco again. "You're a goose, you know that?" He teased lightly. "You're the one my heart belongs to; it always has and it always will."

Draco didn't say anything to that but Harry hadn't expected anything. Instead, they let the silence linger, both comfortable again, any previous doubts laid to rest.

21st November 1995: Evening

Soft footsteps accompanied Harry and Blaise as they walked side by side down various corridors, on their way back from meeting in the Astronomy Tower. They talked very quietly between themselves so that no one passing by would be able to hear them but they were still able to hear each other.

"It's unlikely that you'd be able to safely dispose of Nagini then?" Harry murmured thoughtfully.

"Right." Blaise confirmed with a nod. "She rarely ever leaves the Dark Lord's side and when she does, she only allows the Inner Circle anywhere near her. There'd be no way I'd be able to get close enough to kill her."

"And there's no chance of an ambush?"

"She's not that predictable. I could be waiting in one place for hours and she may never come by." The Slytherin sighed lightly then. "What are we going to do Harry? I can't see a way to handle this."

"Don't worry, we'll think of something." Harry assured him gently, bringing a hand up to pat the boy's shoulder before they both came to a stop. "Oh well, I go this way." He said, pointing off down the corridor.

"And I go down here." Blaise said, pointing to the staircase several paces away. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Yeah, she ya tomorrow Blaise, sleep well." Harry wished before he set off walking again. Blaise copied him and started towards the stairs.

Silence ruled for Harry then for all of two seconds before he suddenly collided with something that wasn't there. He gave a small cry of surprise as he walked into something solid when all he could see was thin air. Frowning in confusion, the Gryffindor reached for the space he had just walked into and was startled to find that it came into contact with something other than air. He was able to grip whatever it was and then gave a pull.

"John?" Harry said, surprised to see his younger brother suddenly appear out of thin air. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much." The younger teenager said easily. "Just, you know, stretching my legs."

"Underneath an invisibility cloak." He said with an incredulous look as he held up the cloak in question.

"Yeah."

"...Whatever." Harry said with a light frown of confusion as he stepped around the Fifth Year Gryffindor, handing the cloak back to him and wanting to walk away. Something else had to be coming though...

"I don't think you should talk to Blaise Zabini anymore."

And there it was.

Harry paused in his walking and turned around to face John. "Excuse me?"

"I don't like the amount of time you're spending with him. I think you should cut it, whatever it is, off with him." John elaborated.

"And why is that?" Harry asked, folding his arms over his chest and arching an eyebrow.

"Because he's not your friend!" The middle Potter child insisted as he hurried forward to stand closer to his older brother. "I don't know what it is he's said to gain your trust or sympathy or whatever it is that's making you talk to him but I bet you whatever it is is a complete lie!"

"And do you have any proof to back all this up?"

"Proof?"

"Yes, proof. You know, it's that stuff that people usually make sure they have before making up wild allegations which could possibly harm people's reputations." Harry clarified, his tone becoming more annoyed towards the end of his sentence.

"He's a Slytherin; what more proof do you need?"

"What? You think just because someone's a Slytherin that automatically makes them a possible Death Eater?" The dark haired young man asked with a frown.

"Look at his family then! Everyone knows that the Zabini's supported Voldemort the first time around."

"So did my father and godfather."

"Dear Merlin, open your eyes Harry!" John cried in exasperation, obviously getting frustrated that Harry seemed to have an answer for every single point he was making. "Blaise Zabini is not the innocent guy he's pretending to be! He's using you for something or he's setting you up for Voldemort. He can't be trusted, why can't you see that?"

"Maybe because it's not there to see!" The older teenager snapped before turning and rushing away in the opposite direction to his younger brother.

"Where are you going?" John called after him in an almost desperate tone.

"Away from you." Harry shot back, not turning to look at the other teenager and leaving him alone, standing in the middle of the corner watching after him.

25th November 1995: Afternoon

His vision swam, his legs turned to jelly and consciousness slowly leaked away from him. His last thought before all thought left him was that why did things like this always happen when he was going into a DADA lesson?

()()()()()()()()()()()()

It was freezing cold and it was snowing which, common sense told Him, meant He was outside. And, opening His eyes and looking around, it became clear that, indeed, he was outside. It was night time, the sky black and cloudy, the trees around Him nothing but black silhouettes.

He was on His knees, leaning forward to support His weight on His hands. There was someone beside Him with a hand on His shoulder. Turning His head slightly, His eyes met with the familiar brown eyes of Blaise Zabini looking at Him in concern through the darkness. The hand on His shoulder moved up to cup the back of His head as a vial was pressed to His lips, a cool liquid sliding into His mouth and down His throat.

Suddenly, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, there was a horrible bang, a lot like a very heavy door smacking into something equally as solid and heavy. He stood from where He was kneeling, along with Blaise, and looked around slightly frantically to see a couple of dozen metres away from Him was a massive, dark, imposing building.

Blaise clutched His arm tightly and after that nothing moved. For long moments after that, nothing more happened but the nervous atmosphere didn't relax. The stress getting to Him a little too much, He slowly walked forward, His arm falling out of Blaise's grip and allowing Him to continue forward freely. Around Him it was silent again and the rain continued to fall, frequently landing on Him and chilling His skin. After a few moments of walking, He looked down at his hands and was unsurprised at the sight which greeted Him; they were stained with thick trickles of some black and viscous substance.

From somewhere in the darkness, an inhuman roar echoed around Him. He continued walking none the less. Then, when about ten feet away from the building, He was able to make out the dark form of person dressed in a ripped, dirty robe. The person began to walk towards Him, becoming a little clearer the closer they came, glowing, red eyes shining eerily through the darkness...

25th November 1995: Evening

A light groan found its way past Harry's lips as he slowly woke up. A light pounding was aching throughout his entire head and he felt entirely too weak and useless. He tried to sit himself up but found he didn't have the strength to even do that. However, that attempt did bring a wonderfully cool hand down to rest on his forehead and he gave a moan of appreciation at that as it soothed his headache. A moment later, a hand took hold of his right one tightly.

"Are you all right?" Draco's voice asked gently.

Harry could only manage a small grunt.

"Are you thirsty?" Severus' voice came next.

Harry gave a noise of disagreement and weakly shook his head.

"Can you talk?" Lucius' voice inquired.

Harry's mouth opened slightly and after a few seconds, he managed to get out a small, "yeah."

"Did you have a vision?" Severus asked very gently as he smoothed his son's hair down soothingly.

Once again, Harry managed to say "yeah" and also give a small nod of his head. "Why...Do I feel so weak?"

"You were given a Calming Draught and a pain killer. You were moving and thrashing around too much." Lucius answered and that just confused Harry even more; he was usually always still when he had visions.

"What did you see?" Draco almost whispered.

"The Dark Lord." Harry breathed quietly. "I was alone...And...I had to face him..."

"I won't let that happen." Severus assured immediately, a dark look on his face, as he hushed his son gently and returned to petting his hair.

"None of us will." Lucius agreed.

"We'll protect you Harry, we won't give him a chance to get you on your own." Draco promised completely seriously as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the dark haired young man's forehead.

Harry gave a weak smile in reply but found he could do no more. Unfortunately, he did not share the confidence his family seemed to.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

23rd December 1995: Midday

Almost an entire month had passed more or less peacefully for Harry. He'd had no more visions since his last on the twenty-fifth of November and the only other trouble there had been was Voldemort sending him dreams and visions of them together, intimately. However, Severus had volunteered to teach him Occulemcy and that had successfully helped him to block those dreams. Things on the Death Eater front were rather quiet and the meetings between him and Blaise had become less frequent, down to only a couple of days a week. Bethany was still acting strangely however so Harry couldn't relax completely but he was a lot more relaxed than he had been since the beginning of the school year. And that morning, he had woken with high spirits, pleased with his work the previous night.

Last night had been the official first meeting of Dumbledore's Army and it had all gone really well. Dozens of people from all years had turned up and they started with handing out the charmed coins which would be used to call future gatherings and then the lesson had begun. Everyone had done wonderfully, catching onto everything that he, Hermione, John and Ron had shown them. It had all been rather fun and he was very much looking forward to the next meeting which would be sometime next week.

"Mad-Eye Moody." Ron's voice suddenly cut into Harry's thoughts. He turned his head to the side to look at the youngest male Weasley and his own younger brother who were obviously caught up in some kind of conversation together.

"Yep." John answered his red haired friend with a small nod.

"Kingsley Shaklebolt."

"Easily."

"Your dad."

"Yes. Ron, I'm telling you, there is not a single Auror you can name whose arse I cannot kick." John said confidently as they entered the Great Hall and approached the Gryffindor Table.

"Surely it's the Death Eaters' arses you want to be kicking?" Harry pointed out with a grin, infinitely amused by his younger brother's cockiness.

"Ah, yeah, but the Aurors are far more skilled and powerful than that Death Eater scum so if you can kick their arse, of course you're gonna be able to kick the arse of any Death Eater." The younger dark haired teenager explained.

"Oh, right, I get it." His older brother chuckled lightly as they all took their seats.

"Speaking of Death Eaters, where're Snape and Malfoy?" John wondered as he looked over at the Head Table. Harry frowned at the fact his younger brother referred to his father and godfather as Death Eaters still but otherwise passed no comment, instead choosing to look over in the same direction to see that, indeed, the two men were absent. "Do you know where they are?" John asked his older brother curiously.

"They're probably with Dumbledore." Harry said easily, noting the Headmaster was also absent and also truly thinking that was where the two men were most likely to be; they always seemed to be there now after all. "Draco's probably with them as well."

"Again?" Ron asked in surprise. "They always seem to be with Dumbledore in the mornings now. Is something going on?"

As Harry opened his mouth to reassure the youngest male Weasley, the sound of his name being called loudly caught his attention. He, and practically everyone else in the Great Hall, turned to see Blaise run in and head straight over to the Seventh Year Gryffindor. Harry gave a small groan at the situation and quickly stood, hurrying over to the Fifth Year. What on Earth was Blaise thinking? Calling to him in front of everyone in the school?

Upon the Gryffindor reaching the Slytherin, Blaise instantly began to talk: "It's over, it's all over!" He cried forlornly and not in the least quietly either. Harry cringed slightly as he noticed that practically everyone in the Great Hall was interested in them and they were being watched extremely carefully from all sides. "You're not safe, we're not safe, we'll be found out and they'll kill us, they'll kill us both..." The Slytherin continued to ramble on, obviously completely frantic about something.

Harry didn't even attempt to try and talk to the boy as they were, standing in the middle of the Great Hall. Instead, he firmly took Blaise by the elbow and began to push him towards the doors in order to get them away from the majority of the school. Once out, they continued on, Blaise nervously talking and not making any sense the entire way, until they reached a classroom. The Gryffindor steered the younger teenager inside and followed through before turning and closing the door behind them.

"We have to get out of here Harry!" Blaise insisted as Harry set several locking and silencing charms on the door. "Oh, but he'd be able to find us!" He wailed forlornly as he turned and began to pace. "The only place we're safe is here, but we're not safe here Harry! We're not!"

"Blaise, I cannot understand a word you're saying, now calm down." Harry said calmly, in a soothing tone, as he stepped in front of the boy to stop the pacing and placed his hands on the teen's shoulders. "C'mon, deep breaths now." He instructed, breathing in the manner himself in order to give a demonstration. The Slytherin seemed to struggle with it but did as instructed, taking in a deep breath and then releasing it slowly. After doing that a few times, his breathing returned to normal. "Right, good, now, calmly, tell me what it is that has you so upset."

Blaise gave Harry a rather wide eyed and fearful look. "My father wants to present you to the Dark Lord before Christmas comes."

"...What?" Harry gasped, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"I don't know why but suddenly, this morning, Father sent me a letter telling me that he wants to get you out of Hogwarts and with the Dark Lord before Christmas Day comes."

"Oh...My..." The Gryffindor breathed as the colour drained from his face and he slowly sank down to sit on a chair, his hands slipping uselessly from the younger teen's shoulders.

"We haven't even got two days Harry!" Blaise cried, sounding horrified.

"Yes, thank you Blaise, I am aware of how long we have 'til Christmas Day." Harry sighed as he leaned forward and held his forehead and propped his head up on the table. The silence dragged on for several moments before the older teenager gave a sigh and straightened up. "I don't suppose your father said anything about when, exactly, this is going to happen?"

"He said he'd send a letter just before we're due to do it so that no one has a chance to find out beforehand."

Harry sighed again before standing. "I think it's time we tell someone what's going on. We can't do this on our own anymore, we're past the point of keeping safe by ourselves."

"You'll tell Professor Snape about it all then?" Blaise asked, sounding more than a little relieved.

"Yes." The Gryffindor confirmed with a distracted nod as he headed for the door. "Go back to doing whatever it is you would usually do with your free time and act completely natural. No doubt you'll be called later on though."

"Okay." The younger teenager said with a small nod. "Harry?" He added quickly, sounding anxious. The older teenager paused and turned to look at him. "Everything's going to be all right, isn't it?"

Harry gave Blaise an encouraging smile. "Everything's going to be fine Blaise, I'll keep us safe." He assured with a confidence he didn't quite feel himself. After receiving a smile from the Slytherin boy, Harry turned again and continued out of the classroom quickly.

When he was outside and safe in the knowledge that Blaise wasn't around to see him, he ran his fingers through his hair and a rather panicked expression crossed his face. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. He could feel the stirrings of panic begin in his stomach making it churn and toss uncomfortably. It had to be ignored though, he had to remain as calm as possible in order to think logically and do the right thing.

First thing was first, he had to find his father, or Lucius or Dumbledore and tell them exactly what was going on. It was time to admit everything and if that meant a scolding for going behind their backs then so be it. They had to know though and they had to agree to keep Blaise safe as well as, in some ways, Blaise was in far more danger than Harry was. After all, Voldemort wouldn't kill Harry and neither would any of the Death Eaters. Blaise wasn't in such a safe situation.

After sucking in a deep breath, Harry darted off to the left, heading in the direction that Dumbledore's office was located in. Everyone he passed was ignored. When Violet tried to greet him, he passed her by without acknowledgment. When he passed Bethany and Spari he failed to even notice their presence. And, when he turned a corner, he only narrowly avoided stepping on Mrs Norris. The world was nothing but a blur of passing colours as the Gryffindor focused on nothing else but reaching Dumbledore's office and getting himself and Blaise safe.

However, when his vision began to cloud and a ringing started in his ears, he had to stop. Annoyance and frustration swept through him as he recognised the fact he was slipping into a vision and wondered, not for the first time, whether the Goddess gave him visions at the most inappropriate times on purpose. However, when a thrill of pleasure swept through him, emanating from his scar and spreading throughout his entire body, to such an intensity that it made him feel faint, he realised that he wasn't having a vision at all. What he was feeling was something to do with Voldemort. It had never happened during the day when he was awake before. He had assumed it wasn't possible and so had neglected his mental blocks during the day time. Now that was apparently turning into a huge mistake to make.

He gasped as another wave of pleasure shook him and his legs wobbled dangerously beneath him. Awkwardly, he staggered to the side and collided gently with the wall before slowly sliding down it until he was slumped on the floor. It was too intense, too overwhelming, it made him feel so weak...

The sound of footsteps registered in his mind but he couldn't quite bring himself to lift his head or to make a sound for fear that a moan would escape him instead.

"Haryon?" Severus' concerned voice suddenly came and seemed to echo around Harry as he fought the losing battle to remain alert. Arms came around him and gently began to ease him up just as another wash of pleasure ripped through him.

"...Voldemort..." Was all Harry managed to breath out before he slipped away into the darkness.

23rd December 1995: Evening

Harry's eyes shot open and he immediately recognised the ceiling above him. He was in the Infirmary. Good, that was good, he was still in Hogwarts. While he had been unconscious, he'd had a vision, (or perhaps it had just been a dream for once) that he had been snatched from the school at some point and had therefore woken in an unfamiliar place only to be quickly greeted by Voldemort. But no, it was okay, he was in the Infirmary which meant he knew exactly where he was. He also knew exactly what he needed to do and he wasted no time in scrambling out of the bed he had been placed in, grabbing his glasses in the process, and dashing out of the room hastily. Unfortunately, in doing that, he failed to notice that his outer school robe had been removed and placed on a chair alongside the bed. In his robe was his wand which was left behind as well.

He was not going to waste any more time. Once already he had been delayed and it wasn't going to happen again. No doubt the entire school would be in the middle of having dinner at that moment but Harry didn't care. He was going to burst right into the Great Hall and he was going to tell his family and Professor Dumbledore everything and then everything would be all right. They'd be able to protect him and Blaise completely. So, with that goal in mind, the Gryffindor ran with a speed he never had before, running through corridors in mere seconds and turning corners widely in order to prevent falling.

However, it was when he was turning a corner, Harry froze to complete stillness and stared ahead of himself in dread. Heading straight towards him, at the other end of the corridor, were Bethany, Blaise and that guy Spari and, even if he hadn't completely frozen to the spot, they would've seen him the moment he turned the corner anyway.

"Get him!" Bethany ordered quickly and that seemed to bring Harry back to reality. He quickly forced himself to move, dodging back around the corner again before any spell could be cast on him. Behind, the Gryffindor heard Bethany bark out more orders to her two companions and as he took off into a run, he knew the chase was on and suddenly he found himself as a flustered nine year old boy running from Peter Pettigrew.

Harry hadn't been running away for very long before he turned yet another corner and came face to face with Blaise. Both teenagers came to abrupt halts and the older opened his mouth to ask if the younger was all right. However, before he could get the words out, the Slytherin pulled out his wand and pointed it straight at the Gryffindor. For one, terrible moment, Harry seriously wondered if he had been completely wrong and the younger teenager really had been playing a game with him the whole time. That thought left the older teen in an instant though when Blaise held his wand to the side and spoke two words:

"Avada Kedavra."

The familiar shot of green light burst from his wand and collided with the left wall a foot or so away. Harry's eyes widened in horror none-the-less and he reached forward and grabbed Blaise's arm, yanking it down quickly just as a sharp ringing reached their ears, a sign that the spell had registered with the school's wards and had tripped the alarms.

"What the Hell are you doing? You could get sent to Azkaban for that!"

"Run!" Was the only reply that Blaise gave to that.

"What about you? They'll know you let me go and Merlin knows what they'll do if they find out you're the one who set the wards off!" Harry insisted just as quietly, stepping closer.

"That doesn't matter, go, now!" The younger teenager urged. Seconds later, his eyes flickered past Harry's shoulder and widened in a slight fear and the Gryffindor instantly knew that either Bethany or Spari had entered the corridor behind him.

"Blaise, how could you? I thought we were friends..." Harry suddenly said in a pleading tone in order to keep up an act in front of whoever it was behind him.

"You should've known better than to trust a sob story from a Slytherin." Blaise sneered, catching onto what Harry was doing, as the Seventh Year Slytherin got closer.

Harry turned to look over his shoulder then and pretended to notice Spari for the first time. He made himself look suitably shocked and fearful before turning back around and immediately broke into a run, going to dash past Blaise. "Death Eaters! HELP!" He yelled at the top of his voice before sound abruptly stopped coming from his mouth and his muscles froze, sending him crashing down to the floor painfully.

"Who the Hell set off the alarms?" Bethany's voice scolded moments before Harry saw her feet coming to stand next to Spari's in front of his face. "Merlin, could this have gone any worse? First you broke the Portkey and now you've managed to set the alarms off. You really are completely useless Blaise." She continued as Harry's limbs became loose again, but he was grabbed rather brutally and hauled over Spari's shoulder, being settled in a none-too-comfortable position, before he could attempt to get away. The Gryffindor moved his gaze slightly to see Blaise simply glare at his sister in reply. "C'mon," the girl said, her tone hard, as she walked past Spari and Blaise. "We need to get out of here before people start coming."

And with that, the three Slytherins, and a carried Harry who continued to struggle in a hope of escape, hurried down corridor after corridor, no doubt heading for the entrance in order to get outside and past the Apparation wards. All too soon Harry found himself tiring and recognised the part of the school which was very close to the entrance. It was looking less and less likely that he was going to be miraculously rescued.

Eventually though, a single prayer of Harry's must have found its way to the Goddess' ear as a red flash passed them all by, missing Spari by mere inches. Together, the four teenagers looked and Harry could've laughed, (if he wasn't under a silencing spell) at the sight of every Hogwarts professor heading their way plus the entire DA. And, if he wasn't mistaken, it was his very own little brother Johnathan Potter who had got so close to hitting the Seventh Year Slytherin.

"Let go of my brother you fat fuck!" John yelled as several more members of the DA shot 'Stupefy' or 'Expelliarmus' charms in their direction.

"Spari, run, Blaise and I will cover you." Bethany instructed.

Harry felt Spari give a nod of confirmation before taking off into a fast jog or slow run which was insanely uncomfortable for the dark haired young man as his ribs were rhythmically bashed into the other young man's bony shoulder. Occasionally, he managed to catch a glimpse of what was happening behind him and was disheartened to see that his rescuers were failing and, somehow, the Zabini siblings were succeeding in holding them at bay and also keeping up with their accomplice. It really was impressive that they were holding up so well considering that Draco seemed to be in full Veela mode and every Hogwarts professor and the entire DA were shooting off spells at them in regular succession. They must've been receiving some help from Voldemort, whether from a charm or something but there was no way Bethany and Blaise were keeping practically the entire school at bay simply on their own abilities.

Too soon, too horribly soon, Harry recognised the area which was definitely past the Apparation point and knew it was only a matter of seconds before he would be taken away from the school unless someone managed to save him. He lifted his head just in time to see Blaise stop to his right, continuing to fire off spells at the on-coming rescue party which Bethany came to a stop right in front of him. The Gryffindor glared at her with as much hate has he could muster to which she only smirked and reached forward. For a moment, Harry wondered what she was doing exactly, but then he felt a very definite pressure on the back of his neck and he knew she had taken hold of his pendant.

"Can't have you using magic later on, can we now?" Bethany smirked as she gave the thin chain a swift pull, breaking it easily and freeing it from Harry's neck. The dark haired young man's eyes widened in horror and the girl fingered the pendent and snapped chain idly. "Let's leave it for your traitorous father as a momento, hmm?" She suggested with a false sweetness before she turned and threw it back towards the school where Draco, Severus, Lucius and the several other professors were dashing their way.

Harry watched the pendent for as long as he could before he lost sight of it and felt a certain sense of hopelessness swell up in him. Despite the fact he could see all the people running to try and save him, he knew they would never reach him in time. Indeed, seconds after he thought that, he heard the crack of Apparation and felt the sensation as the sight of his would-be rescuers faded and the sight of a large, stone hall appeared. Spari dropped him rather unceremoniously then and the Gryffindor hit the hard floor heavily with a wince.

"The Dark Lord will already be aware of our presence so he should be here to greet us soon." Bethany said and it wasn't clear if she was speaking to them all or just one of them. She looked at Harry afterwards however as he was hauled onto his feet by Spari none too gently and, in reply to her look, the Gryffindor spoke, his lips moving but still no voice leaving him. "What was that?" The girl asked in a cooing, patronising tone as she leaned forward and took the silencing charm off of Harry.

He glared at her angrily and repeated his previous words: "Forgive me Mother, I know exactly what I do." And with that, he lunged forward and dug his teeth into Bethany's nose.

The Slytherin girl howled in pain and quickly flinched away, Harry allowing her to go as he had no real desire to remain attached to her her nose; he had really only done it to make a point rather than to actually cause injury. And he had succeeded in not causing too much of an injury as the only damage which was visible on the girl's nose were the indentations of his teeth. There was no blood as he hadn't even applied half of the pressure which would be needed to break the skin. Not that that seemed to discourage Bethany from wailing as though her nose had been bitten off and it also didn't stop Spari from reacting.

Without any warning at all, Harry suddenly found that a fist had connected with his own nose. Then, he was only aware of its presence for all of two seconds before the impact knocked him out and he crumpled into Blaise's arms uselessly.

23rd December 1995: Night

Harry's eyes shot open but then slowly closed again in despair. Once again, he recognised the ceiling above him but, this time, it wasn't the Infirmary. Nor was it the ceiling of his dorm room, Severus' room, Draco's room or any other place which would have been comforting in any way. No, he recognised the ceiling because of the dream he'd had when he had been unconscious. So it had been a vision. He should've seen that coming really.

Sighing in defeat, Harry sat up and looked down at himself to see that his clothes had been changed. No longer was he wearing his school uniform. Instead, he was dressed in an extravagant robe of white satin decorated with vines of ivy stitched in shimmering gold and emerald cotton. It was no doubt very expensive but the young man couldn't help but wonder if the one who made it did so willingly or if so, did they give it to Voldemort willingly. If there had been any sign of other clothes around, he would have changed. As it was, there was nothing and so he was forced to remain in the loose, flowing robe and feeling like a virgin about to be sacrificed.

Quickly, as though acting before he was able to change his mind, Harry shuffled off of the bed and hurried over to a window on the left hand side of the room. He peered out of it intently but saw nothing which even hinted at where he might actually be, all he could see was a very long drop and trees and a largish clearing right in front of the castle's entrance. With a sigh, he perched himself on the window seat, his back against the right hand side of the alcove, and rested his forehead against the coolness of the glass pane. Long minutes were passed for Harry in that one position. Then, the door of the bedroom swung inwards and Harry lifted and turned his head in time to see his least favourite person in the world enter the room.

Voldemort swept into the room with a grace fitting for a dark lord, closing and locking the door behind himself. Then, he turned to face Harry. A smile which was creepy in its sweetness spread across the Dark Lord's face as he began to walk further into the room, closer to the dark haired young man who was simply sitting neutrally by the window still, knowing that to make a fuss would do him no good but also reluctant to actually take an active role in whatever was about to happen.

"Ahh, my darling Harry," the snake-like man greeted with a voice full of affection and admiration. "Truly you have grown even more beautiful in the past five months since we were last together. And what a glorious night that was, despite the fact you ran away from me. But I forgive you, it was a lot to take in all at once, I understand that." He paused upon reaching Harry and brought a hand up to cup the teenager's cheek, to which the Gryffindor didn't react. "I see you are no worse for all that you have been forced to endure today. I must apologise on behalf of my two minions; they did not show you the proper degree of respect required."

"I know about the prophecy." Harry informed the man, completely ignoring what had previously been said. "You're forcing yourself to love me because you think it's the only way you'll win."

"Dumbledore tell you that, did he?" Voldemort asked in a dangerous tone.

"No, it is merely what I have concluded myself. Why else would you claim to care for me?"

"Oh, I see what this is about." The man murmured with a small smile. "Harry, my love, I will never abandon you like your family have. You will always be right by my side."

"You mean like a trophy." It was not a question, more of a statement.

"No, not at all. You will be my companion, my mate, my equal."

"No one is your equal in your eyes because you see yourself above everyone else. You even look down on the boy you claim to love."

Some of the softness seemed to leave Voldemort's face at that and was replaced by a hint of annoyance. "You will be made to see exactly how much I care for you Harry. Perhaps a trip down to the dungeons to see the condition of your escorts will serve as sufficient proof of my affection for you and as a warning of what I can have my Death Eaters do."

Harry said nothing to that for several moments before he managed to ask what he really wanted in a suitably meek and timid voice to appease the Dark Lord's growing anger. "You haven't had anything done to Blaise, have you?"

"Of course not, why would I? Unless he was disrespectful to you as well?" Voldemort demanded with a dangerous edge to his tone.

"No, not at all!" The teenager insisted quickly, not wanting the boy to suffer. "I just wondered...If I could see him..."

"What a wonderfully forgiving young man you are." The dark wizard cooed, suddenly back to being warm and gentle, as he leaned forward so that their faces were much closer, the Gryffindor just about managing to stop himself from cringing away from the almost contact. "Of course you may see him darling, I'll summon him for you at once." After running the pad of his thumb over the dark haired young man's cheek a few times, Voldemort stood and glided out of the room gracefully, closing the door behind himself.

Harry watched the Dark Lord go and when the door was completely shut, he gave a sigh and rubbed at his cheek with the sleeve of the robe he was wearing, trying to rub away the lingering feel of Voldemort's touch. Then, he shifted himself in order to look back out of the window. What a huge mess this had all turned out to be. If only he hadn't passed out when he had, if only he had been strong enough to hang on just a minute longer, he would've been able to tell his father what was happening and he and Blaise would've been protected. It was all his fault. It was his fault for keeping the secret in the first place, it was his fault for dragging Blaise into it all and it was his fault for not being strong enough to control his own body. He had ruined everything...

A knock came at the door moments before it opened and Blaise stepped into the room. "The Dark Lord said you wanted to see me?"

Harry continued to look outside but did respond: "I just wanted to check that you're all right. How's Bethany and Spari?"

"If the screaming's anything to go by, not good." The teenager replied with a small smirk of something akin to amusement.

Harry was far from amused though and he closed his eyes regretfully. "I'm so sorry Blaise."

"Why? Because the scum's getting what it deserves? Don't worry about that Harry, I only wish I could be down there watching it." The Slytherin grunted as he shut the door again and headed further into the room.

"No, I don't mean that, I mean I'm sorry for what's happened to you, for dragging you into this, for putting you in danger." The older teenager clarified. "I should never have got you involved. If it weren't for me, you'd still be safe in Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but only for another year before my family would've made me take the Dark Mark anyway. No Harry," Blaise replied as he came to stand at the Gryffindor's side. "I'm glad you brought me into this. I'm glad I can help, I'm glad I can make a difference and, most of all, I'm glad you came to me for help if it means you're not doing all of this alone. I don't know how much I'll be able to do when the time comes but I will do as much as I can, I can promise that."

Harry smiled lightly at that, touched at Blaise's bravery but not in the least reassured by it. Outside, it had started to rain and heavy drops hit the window in an irregular pattern, filling the silence which had stretched itself over the room. As Harry continued to watch the drops of water fall, he spoke again in a faint murmur: "You know, for the first time in my life, I think I'm scared. Before it's always been different, I've had my staff around my neck or I've had my wand in my pocket. I've always known that I had the means to protect myself and others if the situation called for it. And now I don't. I don't have my wand or my staff. I'm defenceless."

"No, you're not." Blaise said firmly as he pulled something out of his pocket along with his robe.

Harry turned his head to look just in time to see the Fifth Year enlarge the shrunken object he had removed from his pocket. His eyes widened in disbelief and he turned so his legs hung over the edge of the window seat in order to properly face Blaise. "How did you get that?"

The Slytherin held out Gryffindor's Sword, offering it to the Seventh Year in front of him. "I nicked it as soon as I found out that Bethany was planning to grab you out of the Infirmary."

"I'm not even allowed to touch it..." Harry said weakly as he continued to stare down at the weapon.

"Harry, think of the situation." Blaise said gently. "Think how many innocent people all over the world will die if you don't deal with Voldemort now. If God never forgives you for anything ever again, I know He will forgive you this one time."

Harry fought against the desire to correct the He into a She and instead concentrated on thinking over the younger teenager's words. For him to even hold a weapon was a break in his pacifism vow. But did he actually have a choice in the matter? He was Merlin knows where without a wand or his staff and with nothing else available. And this all had to come to an end soon or else Voldemort would start to move his plans forward. It was now or never and with Gryffindor's Sword the only path that seemed to be open...Surely the Goddess would forgive him, after the appropriate prayers for forgiveness of course.

"I wish I could talk to High Priest Sephiran right now, just for a second." Harry murmured, mostly to himself. With a sad sigh of defeat, the young Priest reached forward and carefully accepted the sword, holding it extremely awkwardly once he did have it. "I guess this is it then." He whispered. "It'll all soon be over." 


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

24th December 1995: Evening

The dark corridor was completely silent as the form of a very large snake slid soundlessly across the smooth, stone floor. It continued for quite a way before it paused as a scent reached it. For a few moments, it flicked its tongue out, tasting the air, and finally identified the smell. It was a mouse, a living one but soon to be a dead one.

Once more the snake started forward again, much slower this time, not wanting to alert its evening snack. It drew closer and closer to the source of the scent and knew that it was mere inches away. Venom started to fill its fangs and it paused. The mouse was hiding in the alcove inches away from its mouth, it would be child's play to grab it and swallow it down in one gulp. However, before the snake could even move further into the alcove, a sharp pain suddenly struck the top of its head but that lasted for only a second before everything faded into nothing.

From out of the shadowed alcove, Blaise and Harry stepped forward together. The Slytherin held the hilt of the sword of Gryffindor, the point of which was lodged all the way through the snake's head. With a jerk, the younger of the teenagers pulled the sword from the dead creature. Slowly, Harry knelt down and opened his hands which had been cupped together around a little brown mouse comfortably. As soon as the hands were separated, the mouse jumped out of his palm and ran off into the darkness of the corridor.

24th December 1995: Night

Everything was ready, there was no longer any point in waiting and so it would happen that night, as it was supposed to. Harry was as ready as he was ever going to be and he waited somewhere he knew he was definitely going to be found fairly promptly upon Voldemort's return. Because the Dark Lord was taking advantage of the fact Harry was "safely" inside the walls of his castle and was freely attacking several parts of Britain. He would eventually return though and it would be then that things would start coming to an end. Blaise was no where to be found in the castle. After a lengthy argument between the two teenagers, it had finally been agreed upon that the Fifth Year Slytherin would wait outside, hiding on the edges of the forest which surrounded the castle.

Harry sat in one spot, in the exact same position, for Merlin knows how long. Luckily, it was a comfortable position so none of his limbs started to ache or go numb and the fear of what would happen when he was found was more than enough to stop the dark haired saviour from growing impatient. He would be far happier if the events which were due would never happen and so there was no wishing the Dark Lord would arrive, nor was there anxiety for things to get underway.

Then, two and a half hours after Harry had first taken up his position, the doors into Voldemort's throne room opened and the Dark Lord came gliding in easily, calling for his familiar in Parseltongue. At first, he seemed not to notice the young man sitting oh so casually on his throne, a silver sword resting horizontally across his thighs, but when he reached the middle of the room, his eyes landed straight on the Gryffindor and his expression turned confused and slightly suspicious.

Harry watched Voldemort for a long moment before he lifted something which had been resting just beside his leg on the seat of the throne. "Looking for her?" He asked in a monotone as he threw the limp form of Nagini towards the Dark Lord with a cold carelessness. The snake's corpse hit the ground roughly and rolled on a few extra centimetres from the continuing momentum.

For a long moment, Voldemort could only stare down at the lifeless form of his familiar before his eyes returned to the young man sitting so boldly on his throne. "You did this?"

"No, not me, Blaise Zabini. But he did it with my help."

"Why?" The Dark Lord demanded, his tone wavering between bewilderment and intense anger.

"To stop you." Was Harry's only reply to that question.

"And you think killing my familiar will stop me? Could you not have thought of a more effective method?" Voldemort sneered, his anger really starting to leak out in his tone.

"I have considered other methods." The Gryffindor admitted as he stood from the throne and started towards the Dark Lord, his hand closing around the hilt of Gryffindor's sword and pulling it along with him. "I even went so far as to consider the option of giving up, of letting you have me as you seem to be so intent on listening to the prophecy."

"Then why not just give up!" The Dark Lord boomed furiously, clearly frustrated with the entire situation.

"Because it would do nothing, because it would not change you. If I did go along with it all, if I stayed here with you, promised to love only you as you want me to, would you stop? Would you stop the killing? Would you stop trying to over-throw the Ministry?"

"No." The man said simply and with complete surety.

"Then I won't stay and I will stop you." Harry insisted firmly, coming to a stop half a dozen feet away from the dark wizard.

"You will stop me?" Voldemort echoed, a hint of mocking amusement in his tone. "You, the perfect Gryffindor pacifist, will stop me?"

"I would gladly be exiled from the Havanist Priesthood if it meant I had rid the world of you."

The snake-like man actually chuckled darkly at that before calming and fixing an intense look on Harry. "I would've given you the world." Voldemort claimed in a tone which implied that the Gryffindor was insane to be challenging him.

"I never wanted the world," Harry insisted sadly. "I wanted to be left alone."

"Well then," Voldemort said in all too calm a voice as he glided over to the side of the hall, over to one of the suits of armour. He took one of the swords from the suits before slowly turning to face the dark haired young man who stood opposite him. "Let us make it so you will never be bothered again."

Harry watched the Dark Lord approaching and squeezed the hilt of his sword nervously. And then, suddenly, feeling as though it happened in the blink of an eye for Harry, Voldemort was in front of him and preparing to thrust the sword straight through the Gryffindor. The dark haired young man gave a startled gasp as he staggered backwards and held Gryffindor's sword up to block the blow. The sound of the impact and the feel of the clash un-nerved the young pacifist and his heart pounded against his ribs a mile a minute.

Back and forth across the hall they fought, Harry struggling to stave off the man's attacks and if he had ever had any doubt to Voldemort's true feelings for him, they were immediately put to rest when he saw the look in those glaring red eyes. They stared down at him with such hatred and with no degree of mercy, it was clear for anyone who might've seen that the Dark Lord could never have loved him. Such a drastic change of heart, from being hopelessly in love with someone to hating them with an intensity that you wish them death was impossible and only proved what Harry had always known; Voldemort had only wanted him because of the prophecy and perhaps some sick pedophilic tendency and now that Harry was actively challenging him, all tender feelings had been discarded.

It soon became obvious to Harry that if he was going to have any hope of even surviving this encounter, he was going to have to start attacking rather than defending. But it was so hard to force himself to do such a thing. He was completely out of his comfort zone and the mere thought of doing anything but just try and fend off attacks made him feel ill. Truthfully, it was what he had expected though, he knew he would have to attack at some point, he had just never imagined exactly how hard it was going to be to make himself do it. Add that to the fact he honestly had no idea what he was doing with the sword and had a very sloppy technique and, all in all, it really wasn't looking too good for him at that moment. Voldemort was in complete control and quite clearly had no trouble in trying to hack the Gryffindor into bloody pieces.

Then, suddenly, Harry made a near-fatal mistake. He completely misjudged just how much force the Dark Lord had put behind a particularly strong swing. The blades of their swords collided with a horrible clash and the impact sent Harry tumbling off balance. With a gasp of shock and slight horror, the teenager fell backwards, landing hard on his back, winding himself slightly. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to allow himself time to rest and sufficiently catch his breath before Voldemort's sword came swinging down towards him. Just in time the young man was able to bring Gryffindor's sword up to meet with the falling blade to save himself.

From then, it was a stalemate. Voldemort was unable to add anymore force to his sword and Harry was just managing to cope with the weight of it all. Of course, the young man would eventually give out when his strength began to fade but the Dark Lord was not the most patient or rational of men and it soon became clear that he was unwilling to wait.

"All I have to do is touch you Harry." Voldemort hissed in a falsely affectionate tone as he leaned down a little closer to the younger man beneath him so their faces were about half a foot apart. "Just a single touch and you'll be useless."

"Go ahead and try." Harry challenged, still struggling to fend off the weight of the man above him and also now trying not to look away from those horrible red eyes which were so close to his face.

Neither said anything more then and continued to struggle against each other, Voldemort no doubt thinking over his options while Harry concentrated on not letting his arms give way and allowing the sword above him to come crashing down on him. For the Gryffindor saviour, his future depended completely on which decision the Dark Lord made. If the man chose to try and make him defenceless by touching his skin then the dark haired young man could take the opportunity to strike out. However, if Voldemort decided to keep going with the current attack, Harry was screwed because the strength in his arms was quickly running out.

When the decision was made, Harry felt it instantly. The pressure on the blade of Gryffindor's sword lessened and his green eyes flickered down to the hilt of Voldemort's sword where the man had just removed a hand. Seizing the opportunity, possibly the only opportunity he would have, the Boy-Who-Lived manoeuvred Gryffindor's sword quickly and, within seconds, the blade had run down the length of Voldemort's, knocking it out of the way as it happened. Then, without Harry even really meaning to, the tip of the sword pierced Voldemort's chest and carried on going. The dark haired young man closed his eyes against the sight and winced at the sound of the man crying out in pain.

As the warmth and damp of liquid began to trickle down the skin of his hands, Harry couldn't take it anymore. He roughly pushed the Dark Lord, who was half slumped over him, off to the side before scrambling backwards. The blood which covered the young man was ignored in favour of concentrating on the still form in front of him. Voldemort lay on his side, his back towards the Gryffindor, with the point of the blood-covered silver sword sticking out of his back. Red liquid was pooling onto the floor around the still form, spreading out further, covering a wider area around the man.

Harry got to his feet awkwardly and gave a sob as he backed further away from Voldemort's motionless body, his trembling and blood-covered hands coming up to hover over his mouth in horror at what he had done, what he now was. He closed his eyes against the sight and turned uneasily before stumbling away on unsteady legs. In a blur of colour and sounds and sensations, Harry somehow managed to make his way outside, staggering out of the castle's door and running out into the cold night air where a few small flakes of snow were starting to drift down from the sky. Blaise was out in the open several metres away, waiting for him, and the Gryffindor ran all the way up to him, allowing himself to fall to his knees upon reaching the younger teen's side.

"Harry, what's is it? Merlin, please tell me that's not your blood! Are you all right?" Blaise asked quickly as he knelt down beside the young man who was struggling to breathe through his slightly stuffed up nose from his tears.

Harry, leaning forward on his forearms and his forehead touching the cool grass below, nodded his head slightly a few times before he managed to get words out of his mouth. "I'm fine, honestly I am."

"Here, drink this." The Slytherin said gently as he brought a vial out of his pocket and uncorked it. Carefully, once Harry had dutifully raised his head, he lifted it to the older teenager's lips and tilted it so the potion inside could be drunk.

At first, Harry was eager to drink down the potion as he was glad of anything cool and soothing for his ragged nerves and hot flush of panic. However, the moment the potion hit his taste-buds, the Gryffindor had to choke back the gagging reflex as the vile taste made him want to retch. He returned to his previous position and coughed fitfully, his expression contorting in a grimace of distaste. "Merlin, what the Hell was that?"

"A slightly modified Pepper-Up potion. I added a couple of things to give it healing properties as well, just in case you came out worse for wear. But, really, you're okay?" Blaise asked once again.

Harry nodded again and was surprised to find that he did actually feel a lot better from having taken the potion he had been provided with but it was possible that the snow was helping with cooling him as it had started to come down harder. "Yes, I'm fine, he didn't manage to land a single blow on me."

"Wow, I wish I had been there to see it." The younger teenager gushed.

"Yes, well, I'm glad you weren't. The Great Lady saw me committing murder, I'm just relieved that no one else did." The dark haired young man said sadly as he straightened up again and the other's mood immediately dropped.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't even stop to think how you were feeling." Blaise apologised quickly, his eyes shining with sympathy. "It had to be done though and I'll be the first out of thousands to thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing what no else could. You will be forgiven Harry, whether it's a God or a Goddess or Merlin or whoever, they will forgive you and you will be shown the respect you deserve."

"Perhaps." Harry sighed as he tried to wipe his bloody hands off on the grass in front of where he was kneeling. "But I plan on spending the next six months in solitude praying for forgiveness nonetheless." He looked down at his hands and wrinkled his nose upon seeing that not much blood had successfully been removed. "I don't suppose you have your wand with you?"

"My father snapped it." The younger teenager muttered. "When he found out I cast the Killing curse, said I was too reckless to be trusted with one. Here though," he said as he shrugged off his outer robe. "Wipe your hands off on this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it was a Christmas present from my uncle and aunt and they get me the exact same style every year; I have another half a dozen at home."

"Christmas Day, I wonder if we're there yet." Harry wondered quietly as he took Blaise's robe and began to wipe the blood off of his hands.

"Judging by the position of the moon, we're either there or we're really close." The Slytherin guessed as he tilted his head back and looked straight up at the sky, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes from the snow which was falling a little harder than before. "Hope you didn't bother buying your family anything 'cause I should think just getting you back safe will be more than enough for them."

"I don't think we can go home yet."

"Why?"

"It's not over." Harry whispered, glancing around himself. "It can't be, I saw it happening differently..."

And then, almost as if taking a cue from Harry's words, a loud boom sounded and it was all too familiar for the young Seer. It sounded just like a heavy wooden door hitting stone really harshly. He quickly stood from where he was kneeling, along with Blaise, and looked around slightly frantically to see Voldemort's castle a couple of dozen metres away from them.

Blaise clutched his arm tightly and after that nothing moved. "What was that?"

"I don't think I want to know." Harry said with a slightly shaky voice; he had a terrible, sinking feeling.

For long a moment, neither teenager said anything more and nothing else happened, but the nervous atmosphere didn't relax, Harry anticipating what was going to happen next and Blaise completely freaking out because he had no idea what was happening. As like within the dreams, the stress got to Harry just a little too much and he felt the need to act. He slowly walked forward, his arm falling out of Blaise's grip and allowing him to continue forward freely.

"Harry, what the Hell are you doing!" Blaise hissed as he tried to lurch forward and grab Harry's arm again.

"This is supposed to happen. Just, trust me." Harry said calmly, pausing and looking over his shoulder to the younger teenager. The Slytherin stared at the older teenager helplessly for a few seconds before shaking his head and turning his head away, muttering a certain four letter word under his breath.

Harry turned forwards again then and began to walk. Everything around was it was silent and the snow continued to fall, frequently landing on the dark haired young man and chilling his skin even more. After a few moments of walking, he looked down at his hands and was unsurprised at the sight which greeted him; they were stained with thick trickles of some black and viscous substance. He recognised all of this so well but it didn't make sense. Black rain, (or snow in this case) had always meant Voldemort, but Voldemort was dead...Wasn't he?

Looking up, Harry saw that the snow was now falling black and was coming down so hard that it was impossible for Harry to see too far in front of himself. Then, from somewhere in the darkness ahead of him, an almost inhuman roared scream came from the castle and echoed around him. He continued walking none the less. Then, when about ten feet away from the building, Harry was able to make out the dark form of person dressed in a ripped, dirty robe, a large patch of darker material covering most of the chest area. The person began to walk towards him in a most laboured and awkward manner, becoming a little clearer the closer they came, glowing, red eyes shining eerily through the darkness and snow...

25th December 1995: Early Morning

Harry's heart almost stopped beating from the shock, his eyes practically fell out of their sockets and for a few seconds he did stop breathing. There, standing right in front of him, was the Dark Lord Voldemort himself. The man was completely covered in blood but he was very definitely alive, standing on his own two feet, his wand clutched in his left hand. The rip in the chest of his robe was quite clearly the hole created from Gryffindor's sword and when the wind blew just right, the material was pushed aside just enough to reveal the jagged, freely-bleeding wound in the Dark Lord's chest.

"Havanack..." Harry breathed in horror at the terrifying sight as he staggered backwards before turning and running back towards Blaise.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort's voice, ragged with laboured breathing, hissed angrily as Harry drew closer to the Slytherin. Knowing that the spell wasn't intended for him, the Dark Lord's magic couldn't hurt him after all, the Gryffindor took a dive towards the younger teenager, knocking him down to the ground so that the green light carried on going over their heads.

"How can he still be alive!" Blaise cried somewhat frantically from underneath Harry as the older scrambled back onto his feet, knowing that they did not have the luxury of time with them.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Harry moaned forlornly. What had gone wrong? How could the man still be alive after being run through with a sword? Unless... "Nagini wasn't a Horcrux!" He groaned in realisation, glad that the black snow was falling so heavily now that it was creating a more than sufficient smoke-screen.

"No, she had to be!" Blaise protested before spluttering a bit in confusion. "She had to be, what else could?"

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't..." The Gryffindor hesitated then and looked towards the direction he had last seen Voldemort in. The final Horcrux, what could it be? Something of Gryffindor's? Something that belonged to the man already? Or, while considering things which were alive, was it himself? He didn't know, he just didn't know and there was no time for them to find out...

Another flash of green caught Harry's attention and he quickly yanked Blaise to the side, out of the path of the light and both of them slid awkwardly on the rapidly icing and slippery snow-covered grass. This was no good! What could they possibly do? Neither of them were armed in any way so had no way of attacking or defending themselves. Voldemort may have been mortally wounded and therefore physically weakened by that, but he was still as magically strong as ever. Although Harry stood half a chance against the Dark Lord as the man's magic wouldn't affect him, Blaise didn't have that advantage. One well placed Killing curse and the Fifth Year Slytherin would be gone forever, as had come all too close to happening twice already. But it was also obvious that the younger teenager wasn't going to back away from this even if Harry insisted. So what could they do? The situation seemed so impossible and as far as Harry could see, there was no hope left...

...Wait...No hope...That was it!

"Prayer." Harry whispered to himself.

"What?" Blaise yelled rather frantically.

"Blaise, we have to pray!" Harry instructed quickly, turning and grabbing hold of the younger teenager's shoulders with both of his hands.

"What?" The younger teenager cried again.

"We have to pray!" The dark haired priest repeated his words. "It's our only chance! High Priest Sephiran once told me that when it seems that all hope has gone, we still have our faith! If we pray hard enough, I know we'll be listened to and granted salvation!"

"But I don't have my Rosary..." Blaise began to protest weakly.

"It doesn't matter! We need to at least try Blaise, there's nothing else we can do."

Another flash of green shot through the darkness and Harry swore he almost heard Voldemort's voice yelling the spell and if that was the case then they really didn't have much time left. "What should I pray for?" The Slytherin called.

Harry turned to him and looked at him completely seriously, stray tendrils of hair stuck to his wet cheeks and a smear of blood on his left cheek. "Pray for everything. Pray for yourself, pray for me, pray for the world!" He reached forward then and took the younger teenager's hand in his. "Trust me, trust in your faith."

The contact between their hands seemed to be the only thing Blaise could properly focus on for several moments before finally bringing himself back to reality. His brown eyes flickered from their joint hands to green eyes which shone through the darkness and he gave a small nod. "I'll pray for you and only you because...I love you"

If it had been any other situation, Harry would've tried to talk sense into the younger teenager. However, in the situation they were in, the Slytherin needed all the hope and happiness he could get so the dark haired young man simply beamed a smile at the boy opposite him and brought his other hand up to hold the one of Blaise's that he already had. In return, the Slytherin raised his other hand as well and rested it on top of one of the pale hands which clutched his. For a few more seconds, they held eye contact before they both bowed their heads, closed their eyes and began to pray.

For several moments, they both prayed in their own way, Blaise in Latin and Harry in Elvish. However, without either of them realising it, they slipped into English and began to chant the same thing together:

"We call upon the divine fury of the Mother, the Father and the Guardian Spirit to banish this incarnate of evil."

As the echo of their voices faded away, a patterned circle of light appeared around them so they stood in the middle, the design spreading out about ten yards in all directions. A column of light surrounded Harry and Blaise and a harsh wind whipped up, blowing away the snow from around the two teenagers, both of them apparently none-the-wiser of it. The circle of light lit up the figure of Voldemort who howled in a cross between pain and frustration. The evil man clutched his head and fell to his knees as he continue to shout his hurt. Then, where the two teenagers stood, still holding each others hands, a sickening crack sounded suddenly and, within a second of that sound coming, Harry collapsed limply like a puppet's whose strings had been abruptly cut. Blaise followed him down most probably because their hands were still firmly joined, coming to kneel beside him.

The light grew even brighter until it reached such an intensity that none of the figures inside were visible. The yelling of Voldemort was abruptly cut off and then, in the blink of an eye, the brilliant white light vanished completely, taking the three wizards who had been within it away.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

???

He was un-sure what he became aware of first: the sound of running water; the warm glow of sunshine on his right cheek; the tickle of springy grass brushing against his left cheek. All these sensations reached him quite suddenly and it was hard to tell which was the one which had originally dragged him out of his state of unconsciousness. Which ever one it was though, it encouraged him to slowly open his eyes, making sure to keep them squinted in order to protect them from his bright surroundings which he took in curiously, (he noted then that, strangely, although he wasn't wearing his glasses, he could see perfectly well).

Harry lay on his side in a clearing of what appeared to be a really large meadow which stretched as far as he could see. Next to him, a river ran off from quite a large lake which was created from a small waterfall, further off in the direction his feet were pointing in. The course of the river carried on behind him and eventually disappeared out of sight in the distance. The sky above was bright blue and cloudless and the sun shone down powerfully but, strangely, the warmth of the area was very pleasant rather than uncomfortable as the appearance of the weather may have suggested.

After taking in as much as he could laying down, Harry sat up shakily and held his head in his right hand, his legs bending at the knees and coming up so he could lean against them. He gave a low groan and looked around herself again through half closed eyes. "Where in Merlin's name am I?" He muttered out loud to himself, screwing his eyes shut in slight pain at the light.

"You're exactly where you want to be."

Harry's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as his head shot up and he turned himself to look over his shoulder. It took several seconds for what was in front of him to properly register and once it had, all he could he manage was a whispered, "Aunt Narcissa..."

There, right in front of him, kneeling amongst a patch of long grass and making a daisy chain, was the figure of his godmother Narcissa, looking exactly the same as when she was still with them, when she was still alive. She looked happy, content and at peace and had a sort of glow around her which suggested to Harry that there was more to her sudden reappearance than met the eye.

"Hello darling." She smiled to Harry warmly as she crawled over to him in a casual manner and came to a stop just beside him, sitting down on the grass. "I've missed you so much." And with that, she leaned in closer to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a close embrace.

Harry couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't even blink. Here was Narcissa, his darling godmother, who had died so long ago, with her arms around him, holding him safe and tight just like she used to when he was young. Gradually, bit by bit, that fact seemed to sink into him slowly but the actual, full-blown realisation came rather suddenly. Tears came to his eyes and a small sob left his lips as his arms came up around the young woman and he buried his face in the slope of her neck.

"Oh, why are you crying, you silly goose?" Narcissa laughed in a tearful way as she held her godson tighter and rocked him a little, patting his back in a soothing way.

"I'm sorry." The teenager said in the same way, pulling back to wipe at his eyes. "I just can't believe you're here and I can touch you and..." He paused and looked at her warily. "How is this possible?" She didn't reply but instead looked at him sympathetically. "Aunt Narcissa?"

"I'm so sorry darling." She murmured gently.

Harry shook his head and brought his hands up to cover his face. "No...No, I can't be...I can't have! I can't have died! What about Father? And Draco and Lucius? I can't leave them!"

"Oh for goodness sake Narcissa, I told you what was going on, why are you getting the poor boy all flustered?" A female voice came from the side then.

Harry turned to see who it was approaching and once again his jaw dropped in complete and utter amazement. That person, that girl, no older than seventeen: those green eyes which shined like sunlight filtering through a bright green, healthy spring leaf; that pale skin like freshly fallen winter snow; the shimmering blonde hair like strands of spun, summer-time sunshine; and the robe, golden and bronze like the fallen leaves of autumn. This girl, who was standing right in front of the dark haired young man as though it was the most natural and normal thing in the world, he knew this girl but he couldn't believe he was seeing her.

"Havanack..." He whispered, though whether it was an exclamation of surprise or he was simply greeting the girl was hard to say.

"It's nice to finally be able to meet you Haryon." The girl said with a bright smile.

Harry could still only gape at the goddess, unable to react in any other way. All thoughts of bowing or grovelling or even just being horrified that he was dead were gone from his mind and he just sat there, looking at the girl. Narcissa found this highly amusing and a bright smile graced her face as she got to her feet before crouching down to take hold of her godson's arm to pull him up. He followed her lead stiffly but not once did his gaze move off of the beautiful girl in front of them.

"Oh do stop looking at me in such a way Harry, you look like a cod out of water." She chided easily as She walked right up to him and gently closed his mouth for him. When She removed Her hand again, his mouth remained shut as it was supposed to. "There, much better."

For another few long minutes, Harry continued to stare at the goddess before, finally, he managed to get a few words past his lips. "I died..."

"Technically, yes, you have, but ignore what your godmother says, you're just here for a visit, nothing more." Havanack assured him as she slung an arm around his shoulders.

"How?" He asked in a sort of daze, unable to quite believe he was standing there, in the middle of the Eternal Meadow with Narcissa on his left and Havanack on his right with Her arm around his shoulders.

"Erm, to tell you the truth, it's kinda my fault." The goddess admitted sheepishly.

"Kind of?" Narcissa repeated with a raised eyebrow.

The girl glared at her. "Narcissa, darling, why don't you go and hang around that chocolate waterfall you're so fond of?" She suggested with a very pointed look.

"Very well." Narcissa agreed with an amused smile before she pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek. "I'll see you again a bit later sweetheart." She promised before leaving his side and walking off ahead of them.

Harry watched her go and was still staring after her when Havanack began to speak again. "Anyways, as I was saying, you being here is sort of my fault. I misjudged just how close you were to Voldemort and you ended up being sucked down into the void as well. Of course, you're pure of heart so you didn't descend all the way, instead you came to a stop here."

"Oh..." Harry said lamely.

"Do relax Harry, you feel like you're being held at wand-point." The goddess noted as She began to walk them forwards. "I'm not some sort of ogre or vengeful deity who will smite you with my divine anger at the slightest provocation. I'm actually a very nice person and perfectly normal, well, if you ignore the fact I'm a goddess. And I would've thought you would know that what with being a Havanist. I mean, compared to what some religions paint me as, you lot are pretty much on the right track. Now, the Old Testament of the Bible, that's a horrible representation, I'm nothing like that which the Christians seemed to have realised with the New Testament but..."

"Oh Merlin, Blaise!" Harry's panicked gasp interrupted what the goddess was saying as he remembered his companion. "Where's Blaise?"

"He's safe." Havanack assured him calmly. "He's in another part of Paradise talking to a male me with a massive white beard that all Christians seem to envision me as."

"You change appearance?"

"Yeah, depending on the religion of the person I'm talking to. Everyone has a different image of who God is, I simply adapt myself to make it more comfortable for them.

"So I'm only seeing You as You are because that's how I expected to see You?"

"Exactly." The goddess confirmed. "It's exactly the same with Paradise. Depending on your religion, you'll see this place differently. But, you see, this is where you Havanists have gotta be my favourite religion. When it comes to imagining Paradise, you all think of it as one big garden! It's great!" The young woman gushed enthusiastically.

"You like gardening then?" Harry asked politely, though rather surprised; gardening would not have been the first hobby he would have guessed a goddess would have.

"Of course I like gardening! What do you think Earth was originally? For the first few thousand millenia Earth was just one big garden for me. Then," She carried on sounding suddenly excited. "One day, I found something other than a plant living on the planet and, before I knew it, the entire place was crawling with dinosaurs and then looking after them became my other hobby. Of course, that awful big, ugly rock came crashing down and killed them all but that turned out in the end because then I got you guys."

"So You really didn't create us." Harry noted, never having believed She had but remembering that Blaise held the opinion that man was created by a god.

"Oh no, I had no part in the evolution of man. Believe me, I wish I could take credit for creating you all but, alas, I'm afraid making people is not one of my talents."

"But You do still make some, right?"

"No, I've never made a human in my entire life." Havanack answered.

"But the Elders..." Harry pointed out in confusion.

"Ah, right, I see." The Goddess said in a somewhat awkward tone. "I, uh, I really hate to be the one to break this to you love, but, um...They're a myth."

"A myth?"

"Yeah. That whole sending someone down to destroy evil every century or so is just a legend, it doesn't actually happen." Harry looked up at the woman with a slightly traumatised expression. "Oh come now Harry, you really thought me cold enough to do such a thing?" She asked in a slightly chiding tone.

"What do You mean?"

"The myth of the Elders suggests that they were created for the single purpose of destroying whatever evil may be plaguing you all at that particular moment in time. Do you really think I'd be that horrible and cold as to create a life and then not allow them free will? It'd be basically dooming someone to a life of fear and war."

"So there aren't any Messiahs? I'm not a Messiah?" Harry checked, still looking rather traumatised.

"Sorry, you're just a boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn't a predetermined fate, there's no such thing." Havanack confirmed sympathetically. "But you did a jolly good job you know, far better than I probably could've even managed."

"I can't believe it's just a myth..." The dark haired young man said quietly with a shake of his head.

"I wouldn't feel too bad about it. After all, there's not a single religion in the world that's got it right yet. Take Christians and their story about Jesus, it's the exact same situation as with the Havanists. If I was gonna create a life, it wouldn't be with the sole intent on giving that life a specific purpose because that's just not fair."

"But wait, I'm a Seer, there're have been past Seers; if there's no such thing as predetermined fate, how can we see the things we do?" Harry challenged.

"I'm not denying that there are some, such as yourself, who are able to see into the future. However, you, and others like you, are not seeing the definite future, what you see is just one of many different paths your life may take. Usually it's the most likely one to occur. You're forgetting that Seers have the ability to change how their lives turn out once warned through a vision, you yourself have done it with young Mr Diggory. If there was one predetermined fate then no amount of warnings or effort would be able to change the event."

"I see...Am I going to be able to remember all this when I go back?" Harry asked abruptly, with a light frown.

"What makes you think you're going back?" Havanack asked casually.

The Gryffindor gaped at his Goddess. "What! But You said..." He trailed off when he saw Her grinning at him in amusement. "You're teasing me."

"Yes, I am, it's delightful fun." She chuckled lightly. "But anyway, to answer your question, yes, you will remember all of this when you wake up back on Earth. I would suggest you keep the more radical ideas to yourself though, it's doubtful people will believe them coming from someone such as yourself, no offence."

"None taken." The dark haired young man assured Her.

"Oh, and about you going back, you'll find that you'll have...Changed a bit...In some ways."

"What ways?"

"Well, you probably don't remember because you were in a trance at the time, but just before you were brought here for safe keeping, there was a very loud, very icky sounding crack. That crack was your magical core dislocating." She explained.

"That doesn't sound good."

"It's not. But, it will relocate itself eventually, it's just very hard to say when. Not many people have had it happen before as it takes an extraordinary amount of power flowing through the body to do it. Of course, summoning the limitless power of the Gods is a very good way to go about it. Anyways, because it hasn't happened to many people before, it's hard to give a definite answer to when it'll fix itself. Last time I remember it happening was to Merlin, lovely chap he is. For him, it took a couple of months so perhaps it will work out the same for you, after you wake up that is. You won't be able to perform magic during your healing time, though you really won't feel like doing anything anyway, and you're magical resistance will be virtually non-existent. Other than those two things and the constant feeling of fatigue, you'll be totally fine."

"Oh yeah, totally." Harry grumbled lightly. "Why do I get the feeling there's something else You're about to tell me that'll have changed?" He asked her carefully.

"Ah, yes, right. Well, um, another result of, erm, me touching you is that your hair...Well, it's gone completely white." Havanack told him awkwardly.

"White?" Harry echoed. "You mean completely?"

"Yeah. Think of the whitest thing you've ever seen, now imagine your hair's that colour."

"But how can all of my hair be white? Even Havanist Elders have dismissed the myth that those touched by You..."

"Well, for once, religious elders were right." The Goddess interrupted. "They were right when they came up with the white hair thing after being touched by me and wrong when they dismissed it."

"And wouldn't it make more sense if it started to grow white rather than just immediately become white?" The Gryffindor pointed out.

"I thought we just went over this, I don't make up the rules when it comes to you lot, I just sit up here and keep the dead company when I'm not listening to a million, billion prayers a day and helping out in any way I can." The Goddess pointed out again.

"You do help then?"

The Goddess nodded. "Mmhmm, I do sometimes, if the situation's desperate enough or the world's due a miracle or two. It doesn't do to help everyone all the time though because then they'd get dependent on me. The trick is to help in such a way that people aren't really sure whether I've helped or not."

"But surely you want people to believe in Your existence?" Harry pointed out.

"I'm not that bothered to be honest." Havanack said with a small shrug. "I don't really do enough to justify being worshipped by everyone but I naturally appreciate those who do have faith in me unless they then twist that into justification for starting wars. Ever heard of the Crusades? Man, I gave those kings a right good telling off when they got up here. I couldn't stay mad at them though, especially Richard the Lion Heart. He's such a sweet guy, one flash of his smile and I couldn't help but forgive him."

The dark haired young man stared at the woman beside him in complete bemusement for a moment before giving a small laugh and shaking his head as he looked back ahead of himself. "You're nothing like I imagined You to be."

"Oh good, I do so hate being predictable." The Goddess said playfully as She linked her arm with Harry's.

A moment of silence passed between them as the saviour and the Goddess walked along side by side before it was Harry who broke the silence. "Can I ask You something?"

"Depends on the question. I can't tell you the meaning of life for a start."

"No, it's nothing like that, I was just wondering if You knew anything about the prophesy that High Priest Sephiran spoke?"

"I'll try my best." Havanack assured him with a smile. "What is it you want to know?"

"The bit about me being the boy of twin soul to Voldemort, what did that mean exactly?" Harry questioned slightly nervously, unsure whether the answer was actually something he wanted to know.

"Oh, that, it's nothing to worry about." The Goddess reassured easily.

She said nothing more after that though and so Harry had to prompt her. "Could You elaborate a little?"

"All it means is that your souls are the same." She told him simply. "Everything that has a soul has one of ten different types. In those with magic, the type of soul you have dictates how strong you are and in Muggles it usually just contributes to so called "psychic ability"," here She held Her hands up to use air-quotes. "The twin soul bit of Sephiran's prophecy simply means that your soul is the same type as Voldemort's which is why you were the one who had to defeat him. The type of soul you and Voldemort share is very powerful and also very rare, there are only two or three people on the planet at any given time with it. Apparently, at the moment, there're only two which is why you had to be the one to fight."

Harry wasn't quite sure what to say to that, especially since it obviously meant he was rather unique and special. That idea still didn't really sit right with him. After all, he was nothing more than a boy who had been abandoned in an alleyway, it boggled his mind that someone like him had grown to be someone so...So...Necessary.

"Stop thinking that sort of thing right now young man." Havanack's voice suddenly cut through his thoughts, causing him to start slightly and turn his head to look at Her. "Being left in the alleyway was not your fault, you know that, and it in no way affects how significant a person you are now, understand?"

The only reply Harry gave to that was a rather nervouse nod.

"Good. Now," the Goddess smiled pleasantly. "Shall we see if we can find your godmother again? I've no doubt you're more than eager to catch up with her."

???

Warmth. Softness. Calm. Comfort. Reassuring. Light. Bird song.

Where was he?

Slowly, eyelids blinked open to reveal bright green eyes which stared up at the white ceiling above. After they had focused and everything was clear, they flickered around the surrounding area, taking in the details which were around. Clean, white walls and ceiling decorated with numerous plants, flowers and trails of ivy; a small dressing table on the other side of the room; a large-ish window directly beside the bed with the door opposite that; a simple, wooden chair nearby; the bed was covered in simple white sheets.

With a light grimace of effort, Harry pushed himself up in the bed, the white sheet which covered him falling from his chest and pooling around his waist. He found himself wearing a plain, simple, white cotton robe which completely covered his entire body from the shoulders down and, as Havanack, (who apparently wasn't just a dream) had warned, his hair, which hung loose around him like a curtain, was a beautiful shade of white. Another thing that that Goddess had warned him about was his magical core and the fact that, indeed, he felt completely drained and awfully feeble was yet more proof that what he had seen was more than just a dream. It was real, he really had met Havanack...

The question still remained though: where on Earth was he? And where was Blaise?

Suddenly, the door to Harry's left began to open and the white haired young man quickly turned his head to see who it was entering the room. The person it turned out to be shocked him greatly. "Remus!"

The tired, worn man seemed rather surprised at being greeted but that soon faded and he offered Harry a kind smile. "Hello Harry, it's good to see you're awake finally."

Harry could only manage to gape at the man in a complete stupor.

"I suppose you don't know what to ask first, do you?" Remus said with an amused smile as he came further into the room, taking a seat on the chair beside the bed.

Harry mutely shook his head at that.

"We'll start with the most important bits then, shall we?" The ex-teacher suggested, still smiling, before he launched into a full explanation.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Almost two and a half months. For almost two and a half months Harry and Blaise had been asleep while kindly being watched over by a community of Havanist Priestesses in Northern Ireland who had found him and Blaise unconscious in a forest nearby, the High Priestess of the community having been warned of their arrival in a vision the day before. They had been healed to the full extent of the Elves abilities and had been kept under a sustenance spell so that they didn't starve to death while they slept.

Then, about a month and a half ago, Remus had been forced to retreat from civilisation. He had sought out the solitude of the Irish countryside only to be scooped up and carted off to the same place Harry and Blaise were residing. Being so far from any form of other civilisation and unable to communicate with the Elves who spoke no English, Remus was forced to simply remain and help look after the two teenagers rather than return, or at least send word, to the Wizarding community to tell them all that Harry and Blaise were actually alive.

But why had Remus been forced to leave his normal life behind in the first place? That was due to the fact that Severus was in no condition to be making the werewolf a Wolfsbane potion everything month.

The affect of Harry's kidnapping and then apparent death on his family had not been a positive one. Draco had immediately blamed both Lucius and Severus. Lucius blamed Severus. Severus blamed himself but had taken to lashing out at the two Malfoys whenever he got the chance, no doubt to try and handle things in his own, strange manner. Eventually, as they thought it became less and less likely that Harry was going to be found alive, it had all crumbled for the three Slytherins. Severus simply left Hogwarts one night and returned to his and his son's cottage and had not been heard from since, Lucius had left the next morning and returned to Malfoy Manor and had also not been heard from since, and Draco had remained at Hogwarts and had locked himself in his Head Boy room and hadn't been out since.

For the Potters, the loss had been hard as well. Violet had sobbed her heart out for about a week and was still rather depressed and nothing like her usual, bubbly self. Johnathan had become increasingly short tempered and depressed as well and had confided in Ron, (who had then confided in Remus as Hermione was also too depressed to be of any help in such a situation) that he felt he was to blame for the kidnap as he failed to save his older brother. Lily was acting much like any mother who had lost a child would and James wasn't fairing much better. However, the Potter patriarch had taken over the position of DADA professor when offered by Dumbledore while Sirius Black, (who was sad because his friends were sad but otherwise didn't actually care about Harry) took over teaching Potions.

For the rest of the Wizarding world, the death of Haryon Snape was, of course, mourned and regretted but it did seem a small price to pay for the defeat of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. No memorial day had been set up yet but it was widely known that one would be arranged soon. Or it would've been, if Harry wasn't planning on returning to the Wizarding world very, very soon.

3rd March 1996: Midday

Harry smiled happily as the words of a thank-you prayer ended from the High Priestess who sat at the head of the long table where they were all seated for their lunch. The white haired young man sat in between Remus and Blaise, (whose hair had remained black as Havanack had never actually touched him) and the other seventeen seats were taken up by the female Elves who inhabited the secluded Havanist Shrine. It was the first official meal that Harry and Blaise would have since they had woken up and both were looking forward to it greatly, grabbing hold of their cutlery the moment it was all right for them to.

A quiet, friendly chatter filled the large-ish dining hall as everyone started on their food. After a few minutes of eating as though there was no tomorrow, Blaise was the first of the three wizards to speak: "Not that I don't like it here, but when are we going home?"

Harry paused half-way through chewing his mouthful of bread in surprise at that sudden question. He soon recovered though and finished off his food before replying. "Erm, I don't know for sure. Shouldn't think we'll stay here for more than a few days at the most though."

"If you don't mind me asking Zabini," Remus spoke up then, his tone stiff and formal but otherwise held no malice in it. "Why are you so eager to return? You do realise that as your entire family has been sentenced to terms in Azkaban, you have nothing left. Plus, the entire Wizarding community hates your very name as it appears you were the one who allowed Harry's kidnap to go ahead."

Remus' attitude to Blaise seemed to be rather mixed and confused. On the one hand, the werewolf was obviously intelligent enough to realise that Harry was telling the truth when he had explained everything which had really happened. However, the hate from before when all he had known was what the Wizarding world had "known" seemed to be lingering to some degree. It was just a relief for Harry that the Slytherin didn't seem to care all that much and actually just mostly ignored their ex-professor and only speak when addressed by the man, such as that moment.

"Harry and I have already discussed this, haven't we Harry?" The teenager said with a sneer before giving Harry and side-long leer which made the entire situation seem far more suspicious and controversial than it actually was.

Harry glared at the Slytherin and jabbed him in the side with his elbow before turning back to pay attention to Remus. "Yes, we have discussed it already and agreed that I would do everything I can to get Blaise at least some of his family fortune back and, until such a time as he's old enough to be without a guardian, I'd do it for him."

"You're going to be his legal guardian?" Remus cried in alarm, drawing the attention of several of the surrounding priestesses.

Harry gave them all a smile which seemed to comfort them and they turned away again, leaving them to their business. The while haired young man then turned a hard look on Remus. "Try and keep your voice down; they might not be able to understand English but that doesn't mean they're deaf."

"Sorry, but really Harry, do you honestly think such a thing could actually work?" The worn man asked quietly.

"I will make it work. It's the least I can do for him after dragging him into all of this and putting him in such danger." Harry said with quiet confidence.

"Draco won't be in the least bit pleased."

"Draco will be far too relieved that I am alive and well to care."

Remus studied the young man carefully for a few moments before shaking his head and giving a rueful smile. "And who could blame him?"

"You old charmer you." Harry grinned playfully moments before Blaise clearing his throat rather obviously caught his attention. He turned to look at the younger teenager who was looking rather stiff and closed off.

"If you two have finished." The teenager said rather stiffly, with, what was admittedly, a rather tame glare.

Before Harry could make apologies and inquire as to what it was that Blaise wanted to say, the ringing of a large bell began to echo throughout the dining hall. All the priestesses stopped eating and speaking at once before, after a few seconds of silence, began to talk quietly, their tones filled with surprise, as the High Priestess stood and headed out of the hall with two priestesses in toe.

"What's going on?" Blaise wondered out loud.

Neither Harry or Remus answered, the white haired young man instead leaning forward slightly and addressed one of the priestesses sitting opposite them in what little conversational Elvish he knew. "Excuse me Sister, but is there something amiss?"

The blonde Elf looked rather startled to be addressed by the one who they all believed was a divine idol, (because of the hair you see) and blushed lightly before striving to answer in a hesitant, nervous tone. Harry listened carefully and was rather confident that he managed to pick up on what she was talking about. Once she had finished, he gave her a smile and a thank you before turning his attention back onto Blaise and Remus.

"The bell just means that there's a Havanist Elder visiting and that's nothing to worry about. They're a bit confused though as they received no word beforehand." The white haired young man explained to them both.

"Why do they need to ring a bell?" Blaise asked.

Harry shrugged. "It's just an easy way to declare their arrival to the entire community. And I suppose it's a sign of respect as well."

"It's not some religious thing then?"

"Nope, it's just to make things easier for everyone."

Just then, the sight of the community's High Priestess re-entering the dining hall with someone walking beside her caught Harry's eye. Spurred on by curiosity, he turned his head to look fully to see who it was that was visiting. His heart swelled in delight upon seeing the familiar, tall figure of Sephiran, looking the same as always with his long, black hair hanging loose behind his back and wearing his usual religious robes.

"High Priest!" Harry gasped in surprised joy as he began to try and get out of his seat, his weak body protesting with every movement.

Sephiran's, who still stood at the entrance of the dining hall, eyes widened at the sound of Harry's voice and his jaw almost dropped upon catching sight of the young man. Almost as though he was in a trance, he quickly made his way over to where the white haired young man had finally managed to climb over the bench he had been sitting on. Upon reaching each other, they both stopped and while Sephiran didn't seem to know whether to be stupefied or ecstatic, Harry knew he was just glad to see the man again.

Then, suddenly, Harry's appearance seemed to finally dawn on the High Priest. "Your hair..." He breathed.

"Oh, erm, yeah..." Harry said somewhat awkwardly, unsure how to explain it exactly. However, his nervous ramblings were abruptly cut off when Sephiran fell down into a kneel in front of him. "Oh no, High Priest, please don't kneel, you don't have to!" Harry said quickly, getting down onto his knees as well, (he noted that it was rather concerning that he felt so much relief upon getting onto his knees as standing up straight was such a terrible effort).

Harry held his arms slightly out, as though fighting the urge to reach out and touch the man who he respected immensely. Slowly, Sephiran lifted his head and their eyes met, emerald green melding with sapphire blue. A moment of nothing passed. And then, so suddenly that it barely registered in the white haired young man's mind until a few seconds afterwards, the Elvish man had lurched forward and wrapped his arms around his past student, pulling him flush against him in a close, almost desperate, embrace. The teenager would've tensed if he'd had the strength. As it was, all he could do was allow the ebony haired man to hold him and think back to the last time he had seen him and they had separated with a hug similar to this, only he had initiated that.

The soft voice of Sephiran whispered something in Elvish to Harry very softly but the words were unknown to the white haired young man. They had sounded nothing but affectionate however and the young man smiled lightly at the sound of them. Slowly, the High Priest pulled out of the embrace slightly and once again Harry was rather surprised to see that the dark haired Elf had tears in his eyes.

"I thought I would never see you again." Sephiran admitted very quietly as he brought a hand up and cupped his past student's cheek. "I never imagined that...I cannot believe you are here..."

"The priestesses here found me and took me in, I've been unconscious the whole time, only woke up this morning." Harry explained. "What are you doing here though? A priestess told me that you weren't expected."

"I had a vision, instructing me to come here and to bring others with me."

"Others?" Harry echoed in confusion just before a familiar voice came from the entrance of the dining hall.

"High Priest, is everything all right?"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and flickered from Sephiran's face to over the man's shoulder where he saw, there, standing by the entrance were the familiar figures of his two childhood friends, Marcia and Rhys. Unsurprisingly, they both looked equally shocked upon seeing him.

3rd March 1996: Afternoon

The silence which hung in the room where Harry had woken earlier that day was only broken by the raised voices which were outside. Inside the room, the white haired young man sat with his childhood friends, all sitting around a small table where a tea set was rested and Marcia was pouring them all tea. The initial awkwardness caused by the new colour of the saviours hair had, thankfully, passed and so the teenagers were able to keep quiet conversation without any tension in the atmosphere.

"I've never heard the High Priest speak with such a raised voice." The Priestess tentatively noted in a quiet voice as she finished pouring one cup and handed it to Rhys. "It's rather un-nerving, isn't it?"

"Well I, personally, am just relieved that he's standing up to those two..." Rhys said and then hesitated when he found he was struggling for a word he felt adequate to describe Blaise and Remus who were the ones the Elvish man was arguing with.

"They just want what's best for everyone." Harry tried to defend them weakly.

"They should be concentrating on what's best for you and that goes for High Priest Sephiran as well." Rhys said sternly. "Not only are you in no condition to travel all the way to Scotland to return to Hogwarts but neither are you strong enough to go through with you Final Blessing as High Priest Sephiran wishes."

"Oh come now Rhys, you're speaking as though the Final Blessing is a chore." Marcia scolded lightly as she finished pouring Harry's tea and held it out for the white haired young man to take.

"It is when the one receiving it has a dislocated magical core. I don't think you quite understand just how fragile Haryon is at the moment Marcia."

"Hey." Harry pouted slightly as he poured some milk into his tea, sending a light glare in his friend's direction. "Make me sound like a bloody girl why don't you."

Rhys merely raised an eyebrow at that. "And the length of your hair, the fact you are a High Priest in the making and also that you submit to a male Veela doesn't make you more feminine than the average man?"

"Look, just because I'm not marrying a girl like some people..." Harry began to defend himself, adding sugar to his tea.

"Oh, no, we're not doing that anymore." Marcia interrupted then.

Harry paused mid-stir. "You're not? Why?"

"We decided to run away instead." She answered in a strangely cheerful manner, as though she hadn't had to leave her family behind her.

"I've decided to become a Druid rather than a Sage and am now positioned in the Shrine at Aberystwyth in Wales." Rhys explained.

"And High Priest Sephiran got me a position in the same Shrine where I'm finishing off my training to become the next High Priestess there. And Katie, I told you about her a while ago in a letter, she's coming along to live with us. The others were a little strange at first, not used to Muggle Mortals at all but she's fit in quite nicely now." Marcia said afterwards, still remaining light and happy, a brilliant smile decorating her face.

For a few moments, Harry only gaped at them before he seemed to recover himself. "That's...Wonderful that you're managed to land on your feet."

"It is, isn't it? You'll have to come visit us sometime." Marcia insisted before her expression became excited. "Oh, you could come and be the High Priest when you get your Final Blessing! Oh, that would be so much fun, we'd get to pray together again!"

"I don't know what I'm going to do now." The white haired young man admitted weakly. "Draco might have something to say about moving to Aberystwyth just for me."

"He's a Veela, he'll be more than happy to do anything you want, surely?" Rhys pointed out in a somewhat cynical manner.

Before Harry could reply to that, the door into the room opened, drawing the attention of the three teenagers. Remus, Blaise and Sephiran all stood there, none of them looking the least bit pleased and all of their gazes were focused on the Gryffindor which he found rather intimidating. He looked back at them meekly, wondering what it was which was going to come out of their mouths.

"I don't care what either of these two say," Blaise spoke first, referring to Remus and Sephiran. "You should be the one who decides what you want to do."

Harry looked at them all, rather stunned, for a few moments before he began to really consider what it was he wanted to happen. He could go home right at that second and be reunited with his family by that evening. Or, he could choose to remain in the Havanist community to rest and also to accept his Final Blessing to become a fully fledged High Priest, something he had always wanted and dreamed of being. Eventually, the saviour came to his conclusion and he spoke it slowly and with complete surety, so that the others in the room could do nothing more than accept that it was what he truly wanted.

"I wish for nothing more than to return home as quickly as possible, but I only woke up this morning and I know I'm not up for the journey yet. So, I will stay here for at least the next day and I will see how I feel tomorrow. In the mean time, I see no reason why I shouldn't accept my Final Blessing while I'm here. The ceremony isn't exactly hard work after all, and there's no point in delaying it."

"If that is your decision." Sephiran conceded with a bow of his head and they could all hear the quiet triumph in his tone though none commented on it. "I shall see to the preparations immediately." With that, he turned and swept out of the room.

Everyone remained silent for several moments before Remus was the one who spoke. "Harry, you know what I'm going to ask, so I won't bother, but still..." He trailed off.

Harry smiled lightly at the man who was his old professor and also a good friend. "Thank you for the concern Remus but it's not needed. I've wanted this ever since I was a little boy and I'll be damned if a dislocated magical core is going to stop me from doing it."

"It can wait you know." Blaise pointed out, clearly not particularly happy about not heading back to the Wizarding world immediately.

"Yes, but I'm not staying just to receive it, am I? I meant it when I said I'm not up for travelling Blaise, I'm not much up for standing even. I'm just glad that for most of the ceremony I'll be kneeling." Harry sighed. "Speaking of which, Marcia," he turned his attention to his old friend. "Would you do me the honour of being my Touch?"

The silver-blonde haired girl's eyes lit up at that request while Blaise simply scowled a little deeper. "What's a Touch?"

"She'll basically be my hands until the very end of the ceremony, it's symbolic of how the Great Lady cares for us and how we willingly allow her to." Harry explained.

"Then why didn't you ask me? I could do that." The Slytherin grunted grudgingly.

"Those who take part in the ceremony must be members of the Havanist clergy; only Priests and Priestesses." Rhys explained in his usual rather condescending tone.

"You can't do anything in it then." Blaise pointed out in a rather sneering, satisfied tone.

"I never claimed I could." The young Druid replied easily.

"All right, that's quite enough of that." Harry hurriedly interrupted. "We'll have no arguments thank you very much. Now, if you could all be very nice people, I would very much appreciate some help with getting ready for my ceremony." He stood at that, with some effort, before continuing. "Marcia, a fresh pot of tea would be divine right about now; Rhys, if you could go and find out some of the details from High Priest Sephiran I'd be really grateful; Remus and Blaise, you can both stay here with me and help me with everything I am currently too pathetic to do on my own."

A chorus of "yes" and "of course" came once he had finished and everyone promptly ran off to do as the saviour had asked. Harry was just glad to get them away from each other.

3rd March 1996: Evening

The singing of a group of the Priestesses accompanied by flutes played by several other Priestesses greeted Harry as the doors of the community's Shrine swung open in front of the white haired young man and he began to walk forward rather slowly. The small-ish Shrine was completely full with the other occupants of the community who had all come to see the Final Blessing of who they all thought was the Messiah and Harry had to use all of his Gryffindor courage to get him through the walk down the aisle. He felt very exposed as he made his way towards the alter ahead where Sephiran and Marcia were stood, waiting for him to reach them. Blaise, Remus and Rhys all sat at the front and Harry gave a slight wink as he passed them.

By the time Harry had reached the alter, he found himself feeling worryingly tired and he was beyond grateful when Sephiran gave him the instruction to kneel, (in Elvish of course as the entire ceremony was to be carried out in it). He did so carefully and with Marcia hovering around beside him, ready to support him if his legs decided to give way beneath him. The descent went quite fine though and once the white haired young man was down on both of his knees, he was allowed a few seconds to get completely comfortable before the actual blessing could begin. Upon seeing that Harry was settled, Sephiran officially began the ceremony.

If Harry was completely honest with himself, he only really understood half of what was being said, the Elvish language having never been one of his strong points. Luckily, he was required to do very little until it was time for he and Marcia to interact with each other and that was one of the few parts that he did actually know. First, the pressure of Marcia's fingers underneath his chin prompted him to lift his head and he dutifully kept his hands behind his back and his eyes closed as he was supposed to as a symbol that he had enough trust in Havanack to care and protect him that he would willingly give up all control. Then, along with the instructions from Sephiran, a small sequence began to Marcia lifting a goblet of wine to his lips for him to drink, (at which point he grimaced in distaste as he disliked that taste of alcohol), feeding him a small bit of fruit and then, finally, helping him back onto his feet and the entire time, Harry kept his eyes closed and his hands behind his back.

And then, finally, the end of the ceremony arrived, (much to the relief of Blaise who had found himself bored out of his mind moments into the whole thing). Harry was given the instruction to open his eyes and bring his hands around to the front and he complied instantly. Then, along with a small speech from Sephiran which Harry had forgotten and so could only understand the odd word which was said, a new staff, made especially for the occasion as they had all known Harry would be coming beforehand, was passed onto its new owner. Whereas Harry's old staff had been made of crystal and pearl, his new one, the one which was all his own, was made of silver with a beautifully rounded and polished orb of emerald on top, held in place with three molded lengths of silver which didn't quite meet at the tip.

As Harry accepted the staff, holding it in his hands for the first time, everyone in the Shrine broke out in joyous applause. The ceremony then over, the white haired young man felt relaxed for the first time since he had found out he was to go through it all that day. Abruptly, he found himself in Marcia's arms and he patted her on the back a few times before they separated. It was only a matter of seconds later that he was in someone else's arms: Sephiran's.

"I could not be more proud of you." The Elvish man whispered to Harry gently and the young man smiled at the praise.

It was almost reluctantly that Sephiran released Harry and they both turned to face the numerous occupants of the rest of the Shrine. It was as they did that, that Harry's eyes widened in shock at the sight ahead of him. Standing only a few feet away from him were Havanack and Narcissa, both looking exactly the same as they had the last time. Both women smiled to him, Narcissa's looking a little teary while the Goddess just looked incredibly pleased. Eventually, the white haired young man regained the sense to react to their presence and a smile curved his lips upwards. That seemed to be what the two women were waiting for as, soon after, Havanack waved goodbye and the tearful Narcissa blew him a kiss before giving a wave as well. Then, slowly, they both faded away from sight.

The cheering of those around him brought Harry back to reality and he fixed his smile on all of them instead, glad that at least one member of his family had been there and proud of him.

4th March 1996: Evening

Harry's eyes were glued to the view outside of the window of the wyvern drawn carriage that he rode with Blaise, Remus and Sephiran as they came ever closer to Hogwarts. He stared at the castle with happiness and relief: relief that he was back where he belonged and relief that nothing had changed. Of course, he had only been gone for a little over two months but it felt so much more and just a little part of him had been apprehensive about seeing the school again, in case it had changed somehow. It hadn't though, it was still exactly the same as the last time he had seen it.

"Pleased to be home Haryon?" Sephiran asked with a smile from where he sat beside the white haired young man.

"Oh yes, definitely! I can't wait to see Father again, and Draco and Uncle Lucius." Harry gushed excitedly.

"Remember what I told you Harry," Remus, who sat opposite the Elvish man, warned gently. "Neither your father or godfather are currently still at Hogwarts so you may have to wait a day or so to see them."

Harry sighed sadly at the reminder of how his family had disintegrated into nothing because of his absence and hoped it wouldn't be too hard to reunite everyone again. Draco, still being at Hogwarts, would be easy but both Lucius and Severus were stubborn men, if they wanted to be left alone they would make sure they were. No doubt both had cut off their Floo and set up anti-Apparation wards. Sending letters, although probably useless, would at least be attempted in the hope that the men would recognise Hedwig and have their curiosities stirred enough for them to actually read what had been sent.

The three eldest passengers in the carriage continued to swap polite conversation as the wyverns began to circle and descend. Finally, there was a slight jolt as the carriage touched down on the ground and Harry wasted no time in opening the door beside him, but before he could get out, Blaise had already done so and had then turned to offer a hand. The white haired young man smiled at the care and accepted the Slytherin's hand, appreciative of the help out of the carriage. Carefully, he stepped out onto the grounds of Hogwarts and a bright, though weary, smile lit his face at the magnificent sight before him and stood there, just drinking it all in as though he had been away from it for decades, Remus also got out of the carriage.

"I shall bid you good night and leave you to your reunions then." Sephiran's voice interrupted Harry's gazing.

The Gryffindor's eyes widened at that and he turned to look at his old teacher in disappointed surprise. "You're leaving already?"

"The relationship between Headmaster Dumbledore and myself has not improved since the last time you heard us argue Haryon. In fact, if anything, your disappearance only made it worse; apparently, no one wished to be blamed for what happened yet everyone felt the need to place blame." He gave a soft smile then. "This is not goodbye though, I will be sure to write to you in a few days time in order to discuss your future."

Harry smiled and nodded at that. "All right."

"I will see you again soon Haryon." Sephiran said with a smile before leaning over and pulling shut the carriage's open door. At the closing thump, the two wyverns began to beat their wings. All too soon, they were air-borne and taking Sephiran back to his own home.

The three wizards watched the sight of the carriage fade away into the distance before Harry gave a sigh and turned around to face the direction the school was in again. "Oh well, shall we get this over with then?"

"Yeah, the sooner everyone knows we're not dead, the sooner things can start to settle down again." Blaise agreed as they started to walk forwards together.

They walked across the grounds, into the school and through the corridors of Hogwarts in silence, none of them really having anything to say. Despite the fact their pace was slowed for Harry's benefit, it wasn't long before the trio had reached the doors of the Great Hall which, as seemed to be the way things went in such situations, were shut. Simultaneously, they came to a stop and simply stood for several moments, allowing themselves time to prepare mentally.

"Ready?" Remus asked gently after a few minutes.

"As I'll ever be." Harry said with a nod.

With those words, Blaise and Remus stretched their arms forward and pressed against the doors of the Great Hall. Slowly, they began to swing inwards, the chatter from the hall behind dropping in to a quiet almost instantly. When the doors had enough momentum to open the rest of the way on their own, Harry started forward, Remus and Blaise moving to stand either side of him again. They came to a stop when they stood just in front of the threshold and simply faced the population of Hogwarts, allowing the students to take in the sight of them, or more precisely, Harry and Blaise.

Absolutely all movement stopped. If a pin had dropped, the sound would have rung out like a bell it was so suddenly quiet. Everyone just stared at the three people standing in the doorway of the Great Hall, none of them quite able to believe what they were seeing, even Dumbledore looked too shocked to move or speak. To the Headmaster's left sat James Potter and Sirius Black who were no doubt as shocked at seeing Remus as they were about seeing Harry. Over on the Gryffindor table, Hermione, Ron, John and Violet all sat together and each one looked as flabbergasted as the other. Then, on the Slytherin table, Harry was surprised by just how much of the Seventh Year had gone. Literally only a two or three of the Seventh Year Slytherins remained and, worryingly, Draco was not among them.

Surprisingly enough, it was Johnathan Potter, out of everyone else in the entire hall, who was the first to move. He slowly stood before climbing over the bench and then very slowly began to walk up to Harry, Blaise and Remus. When he was about a foot away from Harry, the Fifth Year Gryffindor paused and did nothing but study the older teenager intently for several moments. Harry dutifully did nothing in reaction and just allowed his younger brother to look him over, to come to terms with the fact that he was, indeed, alive and mostly well.

The renewed stillness was broken very abruptly as John suddenly gave what sounded suspiciously like a choked sob before he had flung himself at Harry. The white haired young man caught the slightly shorter teenager a little awkwardly as his weak balance was challenged with the sudden impact and returned the embrace, bringing his arms up and around John and leaning down slightly so he could rest his cheek against the side of the youth's head.

That reaction was enough to get everyone going again. Everyone began to talk all at once while Hermione and Violet practically fell over themselves as they scrambled to stand and climb over the benches in order to reach Harry and embrace him as well. All the while, the returning saviour kept one eye on Blaise who was doing the smart thing and staying close to him anyway.

4th March 1996: Night

Remus was reunited with his friends, Blaise was safely asleep in a private room away from the rest of the Hogwarts population and Harry was on a mission on his own.

Gently, Harry knocked on the door in front of him but even after a moment of waiting, there was no reply from inside the room. The white haired young man carefully pressed his ear against the wood in an attempt to make out a noise, any noise, which might be coming from inside. There was nothing to be heard though and he resigned himself to the fact that things probably were just as bad as Dumbledore had described them to him just an hour or so ago. With a sigh, he reached forward and gripped the doorknob firmly before giving it a light push. When there was only a little bit of give, he increased the pressure and gave it a jolt inwards. The sound of cracking came before there was a sharp snapping and the door finally gave way, revealing what was hiding behind.

A breathy, dismayed gasp left Harry as he slowly walked into the private room of the Slytherin Head Boy. The neat, tidy, warm room which the Gryffindor remembered had vanished and had been replaced by total chaos. Not a single piece of furniture within was intact; the wallpaper, the carpet, the drapes around the bed were in shreds; the mirror on the wall was broken; dozens of sheets of paper from ripped books littered the floor; and everything, everything, was covered in a layer of ice which varied in thickness around the room, some places being wafer thin while others had to be a good couple of inches thick. Small spires of ice hung from the ceiling and a couple of the corners of the room, including ones which were created by furniture being up against the wall, were very clearly iced over to a startling degree.

And, in the midst of the terrible frozen sight, in the right-hand corner furthest from the door was a huddle figure in tattered Slytherin robes, head buried in knees which were hugged to the chest. The only identifying features visible were the hands, which were a terrifying shade of ghostly white with a hint of blue, and the head of lightly frosted blonde hair.

Slowly and ever so carefully, because he doubted he'd be able to push himself back up to his feet if he slipped, Harry made his way further into the room, ever conscious of the fact that the floor was slick and icy. After a few minutes of careful movement, he reached the huddled form of his mate. He got down in a crouch beside him and reached out with his right hand, resting it palm-down on the frosted hair. The Slytherin gave no response to that.

"Draco?" Harry whispered softly, leaning in a little closer.

Still no reply came.

Just to make absolute certain that Draco was actually still alive, Harry pressed the pads of his index and middle fingers to the blonde young man's wrist. Sure enough, there was a very definite beat of the pulse which immediately made the white haired Gryffindor feel ten times better. Sighing, he slowly settled himself down beside the Veela, sitting on the cold floor and then cuddling up against the stiff form. He pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Draco's head before resting against him completely. Then, he closed his eyes, fully intending on using the time to get some much needed rest.

Despite the cold which surrounded them, Harry was asleep within minutes.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

5th March 1996: Morning

As Harry began to wake up slowly, he instantly realised that he was a lot warmer than he had been when he had initially fallen asleep. He forced himself to wake up even more and began to try and open his eyes when a hand began to caress his cheek soothingly.

"Don't force yourself, there's no need." The wonderfully familiar voice of Draco whispered to him gently.

Too relieved to know that Draco was all right again, Harry completely ignored the reassurance and made his eyes open and refused to give into the desire to close them again at the soft glow of a few candles which seemed so much brighter to him. Stretched out next to him was his beautiful Draco looking perfectly fine, as though he had not just been curled up in a corner of a room full of ice just a few hours ago. Both of them were tucked up in the Slytherin's bed and the room was once again completely normal, all trace of the ice gone without leaving any evidence that it had ever been there. The room was still a bit messy, the curtains in front of the windows were still torn and bits of paper were still littered about the place, but it no longer looked like the disaster area it had previously.

Harry couldn't stop the smile which bloomed on his face at the sight of his blonde haired Luna Veela and he sifted himself just enough so he could wrap his arms around the Slytherin's waist. "I'm so glad you're all right."

"And I'm so glad you're alive." Draco returned, wrapping his arms around Harry and burying his nose in the slope of the white haired young man's shoulder. "Where have you been? What happened?"

"I've been in a Havanist community for the past two months, unconscious; I only woke up yesterday morning. I'm not sure whether I was asleep so long because of the energy it took to get rid of Voldemort of because I manage to dislocate my magical core."

Draco perked up at that bit of information and he immediately pinned Harry with a hard look. "That sounds far too serious."

"It just means I'll be a bit weak and lethargic for a while and I won't be able to perform any magic." Harry reassured gently.

"How long is "a while"?" The blonde asked, his tone of voice not easing in the least.

"Erm, no one's actually completely sure." The Gryffindor admitted sheepishly, knowing that part didn't sound too reassuring.

"Right, that's it, you're seeing a Healer as soon as possible." The Luna Veela insisted firmly. Harry just sighed at that and said nothing in protest; nothing he could say would help so there was little point. So, he simply snuggled back against Draco. "Why has your hair changed? Or it that a mystery too?"

Harry hesitated at that question, unsure of how to answer. Would Draco understand the truth? Or, better yet, would he even believe the truth? Perhaps, in this instance, it would be best to simply go with an explanation the blonde would both understand and believe. "It's either a result of the fact I did die for a little while or it was the magical strain I was put under when facing Voldemort."

"Is he gone for good this time?" Draco asked quietly, his grip tightening around Harry upon hearing that he had actually died for a moment or two.

"Yes, I believe he is."

"Lucky for him or he'd have me to deal with." The blonde sighed then and rested his forehead against Harry's shoulder. "I'm guessing the same can be said about Blaise Zabini?"

"Erm, no." Harry answered nervously, not looking forward to the reaction to what he was about to say. "Draco...Blaise was in on the whole thing, we had it worked out together, he helped me defeat Voldemort, I wouldn't have won if it wasn't for him."

"You planned it all with him? Merlin Harry, why didn't you tell anyone?" Draco moaned with a voice tinged with anger but mostly filled with remembered desperation.

"I was going to the day Bethany got me, that bit wasn't planned. What happened to all the Seventh Year Slytherins anyway?"

"Azkaban, expelled or left of their own accord." The Veela sighed before breathing in deeply and then sighing again. "Merlin, I missed your scent."

"Is that all you missed then?" Harry teased lightly.

"I missed all of you." Draco murmured before he lifted his face and set a soft though completely serious look on Harry. "You're never leaving my side again."

Harry smiled lightly at that, appreciating the sentiment behind those words and knowing that Draco would never actually do such a thing. "I never want to leave your side again." He replied warmly as he leaned forward a pressed his lips against the Veela's.

Merlin, how he had missed the feeling of Draco's lips on his, how he had missed the blonde's warmth, those slender fingers laced with his own, that tongue that teased and tasted and sent thrills of pleasure running through him. How had he managed to survive for over two months without this? Never again would he go for more than a day without this contact, he promised himself that.

Eventually, when breathing became required again, Draco broke the kiss slowly but the two young men barely moved apart, their noses remaining touching. Harry smiled at him which only made Draco smile in return and for several minutes they were content to lay there in each others arms, nuzzling against each other and occasionally swapping the odd, soft kiss. But then Harry remembered reality and realised that all of the questions he had for Draco were as of yet un-answered.

"Draco," he whispered gently, reluctant to break the calm atmosphere between them. "What happened between you and our fathers?"

Draco instantly tensed at that question but Harry decided not to pass comment on it. "Who told you about that?"

"Remus Lupin, he had taken refuge at the same Shrine that Blaise and I were at." The blonde grumbled something under his breath but didn't answer the question and so Harry felt the need to prompt him again. "Please Draco, I'd like to know what happened."

Draco looked very reluctant but eventually began to explain, his tone grudging and awkward and it was obvious recalling everything was not something he actually wished to do. "When you first went, Father, Sev and I were all united in blaming the entire thing on Dumbledore, the Zabinis and Spari. And then Christmas Day came and the world shuddered as you defeated Voldemort. Aurors pin-pointed the location by the excess of magic and swept the area almost instantly, couldn't have been an hour since the tremor was felt. There was nothing there though, just Voldemort's manor. And that's when we all lost hope.

"I'm ashamed now to admit that I was the one who started everything off. I was so distraught at losing you, I wanted someone, anyone, to blame so I didn't have to blame myself. I don't know why I didn't just continue blaming Dumbledore really, but I switched, the blame shifting off him to Sev and Father. I told them both that it was their fault, because they wouldn't tell you the truth of what was really going on, because they wouldn't let me tell you the truth, because Father wouldn't stand up to Sev and make him tell the truth and because Sev wanted to keep you safe more than anything. I said some very nasty things to Sev that day before I left the two of them. I stormed out of the room and I haven't seen them since.

"I don't know what happened between them exactly. I imagine they simply gave into the grief and let it out as anger. All I know is the next day, Dumbledore made an announcement to the school that Sev and Father had taken a leave of absence in order to grieve. Potter and Black arrived later that same day and have been teaching in place of Sev and Father ever since."

"And how did you come to be huddled up in the corner of your ruined room, covered in ice?" Harry asked quietly.

"I tried to carry on, I honestly did because I knew that's what you'd have wanted me to do...But I couldn't do it...There was an ache inside, one I hadn't felt for so long, and it got so much worse everyday. Existing became nothing but a chore, I didn't want to go on but I couldn't bring myself to do anything else, knowing how sad it would've made you...And then, I don't know why, I cracked. I just couldn't take it anymore. I had so much energy and I was so sad and so I destroying everything in here...It didn't help, didn't make me feel better, but it was something, it was a release, I felt like I was destroying the world like the world destroyed you.

"I don't remember curling up in the corner, I don't remember the ice forming, I don't remember how much time passed. All I remember is a few odd, fleeting memories and that one minute I was feeling a pain like no other and then the next, I was waking up, no pain, and found you cuddled beside me. I thought I was dreaming. But I soon felt that something was wrong with you and I just reacted. I picked you up, I put you into bed, I joined you and then proceeded to keep watch over you. Four hours later and you were awake..." Draco paused here and seemed to swallow back tears as he reached out and cupped the side of the white haired young man's face. "My Harry."

Harry leaned into the palm against his cheek and brought his own hand up to rest on top of it. "I'm so sorry I left you alone to suffer."

"You had to go off and save the world." The blonde murmured by way of forgiveness before a playful smile curved the corners of his mouth. "Why you couldn't have left a note though?"

Harry couldn't stop himself from laughing at that, mostly from relief over everything more than the actual words. He pulled the Veela closer to him then, making him over-balance so that the blonde was laying on top of him. The young saviour's smile never faded but his face became a lot more serious as the pair stared into each others eyes, emerald drinking in steel greedily and vice versa. "I love you." He whispered softly.

"And I love you." Draco returned as he leaned down as though to kiss his mate. Harry closed his eyes, expecting such a thing, and so was surprised when he felt no delicious pressure on his lips. He opened his eyes again and found the blonde Veela looking down at him with adoring eyes and a gentle smile still on his face. "Marry me."

"What?" Harry gasped lightly, surprised by the question and the abruptness of it.

"I said marry me Harry. Please?" The Veela repeated himself, leaning down even closer so that their noses brushed together ever so slightly.

For several seconds, the white haired young man, embarrassingly, found himself unable to speak. But then, his face completely lit up with a huge grin and he forced his body up against its will in order to drag Draco down on top of him completely. "Of course I'll marry you!" He laughed joyfully as he hugged the Slytherin as tightly as he could.

Draco said nothing to that but laughed happily as well, hugging Harry with equal enthusiasm and burying his face in the slope of the saviour's neck. For several moments, neither young man could get their laughing under control until the blonde managed to do so. His breathing steadied and he pushed himself up on his elbows in order to look back down at his mate beneath him again. "Mr Harry Malfoy." He murmured with a huge grin.

"You said anything about me taking your name?" Harry demanded playfully.

"I'm the Veela, it's the way it works." Draco answered easily with the familiar smirk which Harry hadn't realised he'd missed until that moment.

"Well it won't be the way it works for us." The white haired young man insisted firmly though his tone was still light and playful.

"Oh?" The blonde murmured as he lowered himself back down and back to press soft, light kisses to his mate's neck. "Are you sure there's no room to persuade you?" He breathed before running his tongue wonderfully slowly over just the right spot on the Gryffindor's neck.

Harry gave a gasp at the sensation that created and closed his eyes in blissful pleasure as the Veela over him continued to work such magic on his neck. "I suppose there may be a little room but you're going to have to be, uh!" He gasped as a soft bite sent thrills of pleasure racing straight to his nether regions. "Very persuasive..."

"Hmm, I think a bit of thorough persuasion can be arranged." Draco replied, the smirk he wore on his face evident in his tone, before he kissed a trail up Harry's neck, across his left cheek and then finally coming to a rest on his lips where they remained and began to leisurely massage.

For several minutes they lay there together kissing, their lips never leaving the other for more than a few seconds at a time. While Draco's hands were rather busy and moved around the body of his mate continuously as though they didn't quite know what was the best place to caress, Harry didn't move much other than to kiss the Veela back. He was rather tired and his limbs felt like dead weight and finding the energy to return the kisses was surprisingly hard, but he still didn't want what they were doing to stop and so he fought against his fatigue and returned his Veela's affection, wanting nothing more at that moment than to be as close to Draco as he could.

A knock suddenly sounded at the door, surprising both of the young men but annoying the Veela much more than the mate. Their snuggling paused and Draco growled lightly and shot a glare at the door before returning to what he was doing to Harry before, lightly sucking on the pale throat, occasionally giving a nip or a kiss. The white haired young man was more than happy to ignore the knock as well until another came and then a familiar voice travelled through the door: "Harry, are you awake?"

Draco obviously recognised the voice as well because he once again stopped and tensed as another growl came from him. Harry leaned up and pecked a kiss onto his Veela's cheek to calm him before replying. "Come in Blaise."

"What!" Draco hissed angrily, glaring down at Harry. Harry simply ignored him though and continued to look over to the door.

"The door's locked." Blaise's voice said after a few seconds.

"You locked the door?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Didn't want anyone like him sticking his nose in." The blonde muttered.

"Well, will you open it now?" The white haired young man asked innocently as he pulled the Veela down closer and nuzzled his neck.

Draco said nothing for several seconds before a smirk crossed his lips. "All right, if you want me to." He conceded as he reached for his wand and flicked it towards the door. The sound of the lock sliding away sounded moments before the door opened and the Fifth Year Slytherin entered carefully.

"Um, sorry, I'm not interrupting am I?" Blaise asked carefully as he took note of the position that the two older teenagers were in.

"No, no, not at all." Harry reassured easily, managing to disguise the fact he was actually rather aroused from his and Draco's previous activities. "We were just talking about how things have been since we left."

"Yes, I suppose thanks are in order." Draco said to the other Slytherin then in a rather snide, completely insincere manner. "Harry tells me that without you, he wouldn't have done as well as he did."

"Yeah, well, I was just doing what anyone else would've done." Blaise replied, his eyes moving around everywhere before finally settling on Harry who seemed to be the only thing in the room which didn't unnerve him. His eyes softened as he gazed at the white haired young man and it didn't go un-noticed by the Veela. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Harry's feeling very well." Draco purred as he leaned down and licked a light line along the length of the Gryffindor's neck, his eyes remaining pointedly on Blaise, giving him a clear message. "Isn't that right love?" He murmured in Harry's ear as his left hand travelled down beneath the sheets and began to carefully tease the sensitive skin just below his mate's navel.

Harry coughed then in an attempt to disguise his small moan and a blush heated his cheeks. "Is there, uh, some particular reason why you came to visit Blaise?" He asked quickly, thinking it would be better to finish business with the Fifth Year as soon as possible.

"Erm, Dumbledore sent me, he wants to have lunch with us so we can talk properly." Blaise revealed, his eyes never leaving the movement of Draco's hand beneath the sheets that covered the Veela and his mate.

"Sure thing, we'll be there in a minute." Harry assured with a smile, desperately trying to act as though everything was normal and Draco wasn't touching him the way he was. Blaise said nothing to that and simply nodded hastily before turning and practically running out of the room. Once he was gone and the door was closed behind him, Harry released a pleasured moan as the hand which had been caressing his stomach moved onto his erection and allowed himself to lay back down. "You really are completely evil." He insisted through a gasp as a spike of pleasure swept through him.

"I know." Draco said with a smirk before he swooped down and stole his mate's lips in a heated kiss as his hand continued its pleasurable movements.

5th March 1996: Midday

It was twelve, midday, on the dot when Harry and Draco finally emerged from the Slytherin Head Boy's room and began to make their way to Dumbledore's office for the lunch they had been invited to earlier. They held hands the entire way there and, thankfully in Harry's opinion, there was no one around to stare at them as the other students were all in class still. The walk was awfully tiring for Harry in his weakened state so it was a relief when they made it to their destination. And, when they reached Dumbledore's office, they found that the stairs had already been revealed and Blaise was standing just beside, leaning back casually against the wall.

"Is Dumbledore not up there already?" Harry inquired curiously as he and Draco came to a stop just in front of the Fifth Year Slytherin.

"Dunno, haven't gone up there." Blaise shrugged.

"Why not?" The white haired young man inquired. When the younger teenager only shrugged again, Harry decided to allow the subject to drop as he assumed that Blaise had actually been waiting for them but, for some reason, didn't want to say so. "Oh well," he said then with a cheerful smile. "Shall we go up then?"

The two Slytherins merely gave grunts in reply, no doubt because Draco wasn't pleased with Blaise's presence and Blaise was uncomfortable in Draco's presence. As long as neither started arguing with other though, Harry didn't much care when the two Slytherins thought of each other.

Together, the three teenagers headed up the stairs, Blaise leading the way with Harry in the middle and then Draco right behind him. They went rather slowly for the Gryffindor's sake as he was finding the act of climbing the stairs took up a lot of energy and by the time he reached the top of the stairs he felt completely exhausted. The Veela was at his side instantly, supporting him firmly and making sure he stayed upright and helping him to walk forward again, towards the door into Dumbledore's office. When Harry was close enough to the door, Blaise knocked on it for them all and they all paused until they heard Dumbledore's voice calling them to enter. It was then that Blaise opened the door and allowed Draco and Harry to go in ahead of him before he himself entered and shut the door behind himself.

"Ah, Harry, my dear boy," Dumbledore greeted the young man cheerfully from where he sat behind his desk. "How good to see you again."

"Good morning Sir." Harry said with a smile as Draco helped to guide him into one of the two comfy armchairs which sat in front of the Headmaster's desk.

"How are you this morning Harry?" The old man inquired enthusiastically.

"I'm very well thank you Sir, it's wonderful to be home again." The white haired young man assured as Draco perched on the arm of the armchair and snaked an arm around his shoulders while Blaise sat in another one of the arm chairs to the right.

"Yes, yes, I imagine it is. It's good to see you back to your usual self as well Draco." The Headmaster said to the blonde. Draco merely gave a grunt in reply to which Harry just glanced at him fondly, still too much in the glow of being back to be annoyed by the Veela's impolite manner. Dumbledore didn't seem to mind either and simply smiled and carried on. "And you Mr Zabini? How are you this morning?"

"Can't complain I suppose." Blaise shrugged easily as he slouched in his seat comfortably.

"Good, wonderful, that's cheered me up greatly." Dumbledore seemed to sadden then however and he gave Harry a regretful look. "I'm so sorry for all you have been through Harry but you should have told someone, anyone, what you were planning."

"The kidnap wasn't planned." Blaise spoke up then. "It was arranged by my sister and father, I only found out an hour before Harry was taken."

"And you didn't think to come to us within that hour?" The Headmaster asked.

"There was no opportunity."

"Yet there was opportunity to take the sword of Gryffindor." The oldest Wizard stated.

Blaise simply shrugged. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"It's been a hard few months Headmaster." Harry said to the man in a apologetic tone. "Blaise doesn't mean to be rude."

"Don't I?" The fifteen year old grunted.

They all ignored that comment from the youngest person in the room and Dumbledore took his turn to speak. "Harry, I'd like to apologise to you. I feel that if we had been more honest with you on what was happening, you may not have felt the need to do what you did behind our backs. Your father was most adamant that you were not involved in any way."

"I understand Professor, but really, there's no need for you to apologise, it was my own fault, I took too much on myself and tried to cope with it all alone. True, when Draco set me on the path of discovering exactly what was happening, I was annoyed but that is still no reason to justify putting myself and Blaise in so much danger." Harry replied easily to that.

The Headmaster stared at Harry in something akin to shock before smiling slightly and shaking his head. "You have grown so much since we last spoke properly."

"Dying does tend to change a person's out look on life." The white haired young man said with good humour.

"I can only imagine." Dumbledore replied with a smile. "To change the subject somewhat, I don't suppose you've seen the paper this morning?" With that, the elderly wizard picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet from his desk and leaned forward to give it to them. Draco was the one who accepted it and then held it at such an angle so that Harry could get an equally good look at it as well.

The head-line, proclaiming "The Miraculous Return of Our Saviour" was no real surprise, news about Harry always seemed to travel at the speed of light. What was surprising however was the fact that there was a picture of Harry, Blaise and Remus when they had entered the Great Hall and John had hugged him. The white haired young man hadn't even known that someone had taken a picture and he found himself curious as to why someone would have a camera with them in the Great Hall for no reason though perhaps it was something that someone like Colin Creevey would do.

"Oh Potter will love this." Draco smirked in amusement.

"It's a start for clearing Blaise's name." Harry noted cheerfully. "Here it suggests that he's been misjudged considering that he came back with me." He paused then and looked up to Dumbledore. "Do you think Father and Uncle Lucius have seen this by now?"

"It's hard to say." The Headmaster admitted. "Neither have ever responded to my letters which I have sent before but perhaps hope and curiosity will lead them to at least glancing at the paper long enough to see the head-line. If that is not the case, I suppose I shall have to go and try and visit them personally again. They should be more inclined to open their doors when they hear the news I give them."

"Perhaps I should go and see them..." Harry mused.

"You're not well enough for that." Draco told him. "Professor Dumbledore's already said he'll go so there's no need to put the stress on yourself."

"Draco's right Harry, you're in no condition to travel." Dumbledore agreed seriously before smiling cheerfully. "Now, I did invite you all up for lunch, so shall we start with some tea?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

An hour and a half later, the three teenagers were allowed to leave and continue with their own things. Although they left the office together, as soon as they were down all the stairs, Draco had curiously inquired as to what the time was. Upon hearing that it was around half one in the afternoon, he had muttered a curse under his breath before pinning a hard look on Blaise and ordering him to stay with Harry. Then, without further explanation, he had stalked away from them. Both Harry and Blaise had stared after him in complete surprise before realising that, for the first time since they had battled Voldemort, they were alone together and suddenly everything came back. They had held hands, Blaise had promised to pray for Harry and Harry alone and had confessed his love...

For quite a while, neither of them neither spoke to or looked at each other, both feeling acutely uncomfortable. Eventually though, it was Blaise who broke the silence and his words seem to ring around the quiet which otherwise surrounded them. "So I guess I really don't have a chance."

Harry turned around to see the Fifth Year Slytherin standing about a foot away from him looking thoroughly down-heartened. "I'm sorry Blaise."

"No, don't be, it was only a fool's hope." The teenager waved the apology off easily.

"But it was hope nonetheless." Harry paused. "I would give you a hug but Draco would probably pick up on your scent and I really don't think he's quite in the mood for sharing."

Blaise chuckled lightly at that. "Not surprising, if I was him I wouldn't want to share you." He smiled slightly wistfully then though there was a touch of real concern in his eyes. "I haven't put you off having me hanging around for a while, have I?"

"Not at all." Harry assured with a bright smile.

"All right." Blaise sighed. "I guess I'm gonna go wander around now, leave you two to yourselves."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

"See ya later." The Slytherin said with a friendly grin before he turned and headed off in the opposite direction.

Harry watched Blaise walk away with mixed emotions, unsure of what to think and feel about how things had worked out. He felt terrible that the teenager seemed to care about him so deeply and he didn't return the feelings but the white haired young man's sensible side reminded him that he wasn't able to force himself to feel something that didn't come naturally. And Draco needed him far more than Blaise ever would, even if the Slytherin teenager wasn't aware of it at that moment. No matter what Harry or Blaise or Draco or anyone felt though, the Gryffindor would keep his promise and he would help Blaise get his life back together even if it meant giving the boy all the reward money which, according to Dumbledore, he would most likely be given for defeating Voldemort.

"Where'd Zabini go?" Draco's voice suddenly cut into Harry's thoughts.

"He said he had some stuff to take care of." Harry fibbed, turning to look to Draco as the blonde drew in closer.

"Damn idiot, can't trust him even to do one little thing." The Veela began to mutter under his breath as he reached his mate's side and put an arm around his waist.

"Where did you go anyway?" The white haired young man inquired as they started to walk forwards slowly.

"You know how I said that I was aware of certain things which happened during the time when I in my room? One of the things I remember is Fred and George coming to talk sense into me several times and, for Merlin knows what reason, every visit they felt the need to declare the date and time. And, if you can say nothing else about Fred and George, you can definitely say that they're extremely predictable; they arrived at one thirty in the afternoon every other day. Their last visit was on the third."

Harry's eyes widened at that as his mind worked out the Maths. "They're here!"

Draco grinned at him. "Good to hear that dislocating your magical core hasn't addled your mind."

"Where are they?"

"Waiting by the front entrance where I left them after saving them from the paparazzi which are patrolling the edge of the Apparation wards."

"The paparazzi are already here?" Harry groaned forlornly.

"You didn't seriously think they were going to wait, did you?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry never got the chance to answer that however as the front entrance of Hogwarts came into view, along with the figures of Fred and George, waiting around in silence. Silence, that is, until George caught sight of the white haired young man and his Veela and practically exploded.

"Harry!" The red haired young man all but yelled as he ran up to his once fellow Gryffindor. "Merlin, you have no idea how glad I am to see you alive!" He continued to gush as he wrapped his arms around the white haired youth and picked him up before then jostling him up and down playfully.

"It's good to see you too George." Harry replied, awkwardly trying to pat his friend's shoulder while giving Draco a somewhat bemused look. On the Slytherin's part, he seemed more amused by the red head's actions than anything.

After a few minutes, George finally allowed Harry back onto his feet. However, no sooner had he put him down that Fred and seized him and he was once again in someone's arms and held close to a firm, flat chest. "If I wasn't so glad to see you alive, I'd give you a slap." Fred mumbled into the top of Harry's head. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Harry mumbled a reassurance to his friend as he sent a glance Draco's way. The blonde still seemed perfectly happy to allow the twins to almost smother him with their embraces. Eventually, when Fred released Harry, the four young men headed for the kitchens where Fred and George would have some lunch while Harry once again went through absolutely everything for their sake. He wasn't going to complain though, he was too relieved to finally be surrounded with the people he loved again.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

5th March 1996: Afternoon

Harry laughed joyously as George made a rather witty remark to what they previously been talking about. So much time had passed, at least a couple of hours, since the twins had arrived at Hogwarts but it seemed like a mere few minutes to Harry. After explaining all the unpleasant things, the conversation between the young men had almost instantly turned onto more cheerful things and they had been laughing together ever since. The group of teenagers were in the school's kitchen, sitting on either side of a table with Fred and George on one side and Harry and Draco on the other, enjoying each others company and the sweet food which had been provided by the house-elves.

"Oh, that reminds me," Fred said to his brother's comment as he reached inside his robes. "Thought you might be interested in seeing this." He grinned as he pulled a rolled up piece of parchment and held it out to the white haired young man.

"What is it?" Harry inquired curiously even as he accepted it and began to unfurl it.

"We've just been to see our accountant." George said simply with an absolutely electric grin.

Harry gave the twins a somewhat bemused expression as he finished off revealing the script on the paper. A few moments was spent looking over the neat writing before his jaw dropped. He gasped in shock before looking up to the Weasley brothers, his eyes wide with disbelief. "This isn't true..." He accused in a breathy tone.

"It's completely, one hundred percent accurate." Fred assured the white haired young man with a broad grin.

"And this is only twenty percent of the over-all profits so far?" The young saviour asked, completely astounded.

"Yep." George confirmed cheerfully. "We're gonna pay off Mum and Dad's mortgage and then spend the rest on more equipment to make products in a more productive way. Then, we're gonna think about expanding, maybe getting another shop."

"If you've got plans for it then maybe you should keep the money, I never gave you the Tournament winnings just so I could have a cut of the profits." Harry told them as Draco took the parchment out of his loose grip to look over himself.

"Only you would give away so much money not once but twice." Fred said with a shake of his head.

"We want you to have it," George insisted, "now more than ever."

"I can't believe you've had so much success already." Harry murmured before giving a smile. "I bet your mum isn't complaining now."

"She's insanely proud." Fred answered and it was clear that he was pleased beyond belief that that was the case.

"Fit to burst I'd say." George agreed, looking just as chuffed.

"I don't blame her." Draco said as he looked up from the parchment and raised his eyebrows at the twins. "You're sure this is all profit?" The red haired teenagers nodded. "I'd say it was impossible if it wasn't for the fact this is an official document from Gringotts. I suppose congratulations are in order."

"Congratulations from Draco Malfoy?" Fred gasped with mock disbelief. "This truly is the best day ever."

"We must go and spread the joy!" George insisted in a loud, over-dramatic voice as he stood from his chair abruptly. "Quick, to Gryffindor Tower!"

"You guys go ahead." Harry told the twins with a smile as Fred rose from his seat as well. "Draco and I will follow on."

"You sure? We can wait." Fred offered.

Harry shook his head. "No, don't, getting me all the way up to Gryffindor Tower is going to be a very slow process and if you stuck with us I'd feel as though I had to hurry along for your sakes. You two go ahead and race up there and be the centre of attention, we'll be with you in about ten minutes."

"All right, we'll see you up there." Fred agreed as he turned to go.

George hesitated a moment as his twin began to head out of the kitchen. He glanced to where Harry was still seated, the to his brother and then back to Harry again. Then, apparently, he made up his mind and lurched towards Harry and wrapped his arms around him. "I'm so glad you're back." The red haired young man said before quickly pulling back and hurrying after his brother.

Harry and Draco watched him go before glancing to each other. "Well that was rather unexpected." The white haired young man admitted.

"Nice to know he cares I supposed." Draco grunted as he stood. "Could've at least asked before he threw himself at you though."

"You seemed to be all right with it earlier." Harry noted as he accepted Draco's help and allowed himself to eased onto his feet.

"You've miraculously come back from the dead, most people are entitled to one hug."

"Most?"

"You're not hugging anyone whose last name is Potter." The Veela muttered as he made his mate link their arms so he continue to help him walk.

Harry wondered for a moment whether he should inform the blonde that he had already received hugs from his siblings but quickly decided against it. Talking with Draco at that moment was like walking a tight-rope; the smallest of mistakes, just one wrong word, would no doubt be enough to tip him over the edge and make his Luna Veela side come out with a vengeance and the white haired young man didn't want the stress of that, not on a day which was supposed to be such a happy time.

In a comfortable quiet, Harry and Draco made their way out of the kitchen and through various corridors, on the way up to Gryffindor Tower which seemed as unreachable as the tip of Mount Everist at that moment for the Gryffindor. Still, he made no complaint and simply continued, eternally grateful for the fact that the Slytherin beside him seemed quite happy to not only crawl along at a snail's pace but also didn't seem to mind to support quite a lot of Harry's weight whenever his balance wobbled and he was forced to rely on Draco to keep him up.

After about five minutes of walking extremely slowly, Harry caught sight of a figure up ahead and, after a moment of squinting to try and make out who it was, he recognised them and a happy smile broke out across his face. "Hello Remus." He greeted the older man as he got close enough to hear.

"Harry, Malfoy." Remus said as he reached them and came to a stop just in front, smiling to Harry and giving Draco a polite nod.

"Lupin." The blonde returned in a neutral though not impolite manner.

"How are you feeling today Harry?" The kind man inquired, turning his attention back onto the white haired teenager.

"I'm great thanks, though I think it's got more to do with getting to see everyone again rather than physically feeling any better." Harry answered with a bright smile.

"Yes, I hear you have had a busy day what with meeting with Dumbledore and Fred and George already. Would you be willing to see some others or do you feel in need of a rest?"

"When you say others, I don't suppose you mean Potters do you?" Harry sighed, knowing what was coming.

"James called Lily last night as soon as it was confirmed you were quite fine and she arrived literally moments later. I've managed to persuade them to give you some time to adjust to being back so far but now they are getting rather impatient."

"They gave up the right to get impatient when they dumped Harry in that alleyway." Draco muttered but was ignored by the other two.

"Will you see them?" Remus asked Harry gently in a tone which was rather pleading.

Harry sighed lightly and nodded. Yes, all right, I suppose so."

Draco gave a disgruntled grunt at that but Remus seemed beyond pleased with the answer and he smile brightly to the white haired young man. "Shall we go now then? I believe they're waiting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom."

Without further ado, the three males started forwards again, heading towards the DADA classroom. Harry and Remus made light conversation between themselves as they walked along while Draco remained silent, having no desire to pretend to be polite and not willing to anger his recently returned mate by making snide remarks. After several minutes of walking at a slow pace to allow for the white haired saviour's condition, the three reached the classroom. Remus opened the door for the two teenagers and they shuffled in leisurely.

The first thing that Harry and Draco saw was the entire Potter family gathered in the middle of the room, joined by Sirius Black. However, seconds after noticing that, Harry's attention was drawn to the fact that the horrible feeling he always felt usually when he entered the room was absent which was a definite relief. However, he wasn't able to relish it for long before Lily Potter gave a small squeak which sounded rather like a choked back sob. Covering her mouth with her hand, she looked to her oldest child with a sort of longing which the white haired young man recognised easily. It was more than obvious what she wanted, it was written all over her face and screamed in her body language and Harry didn't have the heart to turn her down. So, with a sigh, he pulled his arm away from Draco and opened his arms to her in a silent invitation. Lily immediately took it and rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him and holding on tight.

"I thought I would never see you again." She breathed in a tear-filled voice right next to his ear.

Harry heard Draco give a snort at that and immediately sent him a warning glare to stop him from going further. Draco's eyes flickered onto his mate's face before he looked away again."I'm gonna wait outside." He grumbled as he promptly left the room.

When the blonde Veela was gone, Harry replied to his birth-mother's statement, patting her back in a comforting manner as he spoke. "Yes, well, to be truthful, for a little while I didn't think I'd see anyone ever again either." Lily released him then and took a step back, dabbing at her eyes with a hankie just as Violet launched herself into his arms next which unsteadied him more than usual due to his weakened state but he managed to keep his balance and keep them both standing. "I do believe you got your hug last night." He told his younger sister lightly.

"I'm going to hug you at least once every day from now on so you might as well get used to it." The girl mumbled into his chest.

Harry smiled at that and gently patted his sister's head before turning his head to look at his younger brother. "Want another one?" He teased, knowing exactly what the boy would think of that. Predictably, John blushed, scowled and looked away, stubbornly not passing comment. Harry only laughed at that reaction before turning to James. "You don't strike me as the hugging type." Was the only thing he said.

"A handshake will do me." James said with a smile as he held out his hand. Harry kept one arm around Violet and held the other one out, taking his birth-father's hand and shaking it. "Glad to have you back where you belong."

"So am I." Harry smiled back. The smile lessened until it had almost disappeared when he looked to Sirius. "Black." He said neutrally.

"Snape." Sirius grunted and was obviously holding back from saying something else if the disgruntled look on his face was anything to go by.

Harry merely ignored the behaviour, partly because the opinion of Sirius Black meant nothing to him but mostly because Violet chose that moment to give him a rather hard squeeze. "I've missed you so much." She told him as she released some of the pressure.

"I've missed you too, and you John." The white haired young smiled over to his younger brother. And it was true, he had missed everyone, including his bratty younger brother.

"We were wondering Harry," Lily said then, sounding rather unsure of herself. "Whether you would be willing to spend a week or so with us sometime soon. Dumbledore told us you won't be going back to classes for a while at least and we want to get to know you better before something else happens."

"If something else happens." Violet quickly corrected her mum.

"That's a very kind offer for you to make but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline again. I'll have a lot of catching up to do with Father and Uncle Lucius and I wouldn't be surprised if Draco insists on bonding sooner rather than later." He paused for a moment and studied the disappointed faces of his entire biological family. "But, later, one day, I would love to come to stay with you."

"Really?" Lily asked with a small gasp, her tone implying that she thought that the answer was too good to be true.

"Life is too short to hold grudges." Harry replied to that simply before the classroom door opening caught all their attentions. There, in the doorway, stood an apparently normal, calm Draco but Harry knew better and he could tell that the blonde was holding something in. "What is it?" He asked carefully.

"Sev's just made it past the journalists." Draco answered and Harry felt his heart soar.

"He's here?" He gasped happily as he left his sister and hurried over rather feebly to the Veela.

"Yeah, c'mon, we'll catch him before Dumbledore can." The blonde said as he pulled his mate over to him and put the young man's arm over his shoulders to help him walk faster. As they left the classroom, he sent a triumphant smirk over his shoulder towards the Potters, satisfied with Harry's reaction and proving to them all that they would never be as important to Harry than Severus, Lucius and himself.

Harry and Draco hurried through the school as fast as Harry's weakened state would allow which, with the promise of seeing his father again, was surprisingly fast. The white haired young man ignored the fatigue he felt and the burn of a stitch that was starting to form on his right hand side and just kept moving forwards, fuelled by determination and very little else. And then, all of a sudden when the sight of the imposing figure of Severus came into view coming through the front entrance of the school, it was all worth it. A smile immediately lit up the saviour's face and he broke away from the blonde, making the last few metres towards the man on his own.

"Father!" Harry gushed happily as he all but hobbled over to the man, half throwing himself and half collapsing into the man's arms.

Severus didn't say anything, he just held Harry tight, one arm around the saviour's back while the other was angled up so that he could bury one of his hands in the long strands of white hair, cupping the back of the young man's head. His face was pressed tightly against the side of his son's head where he frequently stiffened his lips is a kiss. Harry had both of his hands around his father's waist, his hands fisting the material of his shirt on his back, his head buried against the crook of the pale column which was the Potion Master's neck.

"Father..." Harry whispered in an adoring tone, closing his eyes in relaxation.

"My son..." Severus' voice rumbled quietly in reply as a slight dampness rolled down Harry's cheek, a tear which didn't come from his own green eyes.

5th March 1996: Evening

A peaceful smile decorated Harry's expression from where he was cuddled up beside his father in the man's quarters which he had promptly reclaimed upon his return. At least an hour had passed since they had first settled in that position and Draco had left them in favour of tracking down Lucius to bring him back and also to give the father and son some time to themselves to talk. Except neither of them had spoken for the past hour, instead just being comfortable in their silence. Harry's explanations of what happened would come later when the elation of his return had faded. As for Severus explaining anything...Well, there wasn't really much for him to explain. He had thought he had lost his only son and so had completely fallen to pieces, something which Harry planned on scolding him for later on as well.

A sudden crackle came from the fire as a spark shot up before falling back to the other flames from which it originally came just as the sound of the portrait swinging away came, meaning that someone was entering the room. Then, with the softly spoken "Harry" from the voice of Draco, Harry sat up just enough to look over the top of the sofa in order to look at the Slytherin. However, upon seeing the Veela and also seeing the blonde man accompanying him, he struggled to sit up properly and then stand. He eventually managed to get up and then quickly hurried over to where Draco and Lucius were standing together just in front of the portrait hole.

"Uncle Lucius!" Harry gushed happily as he forced his tired limbs to hurry over to him.

Lucius closed the last few steps between them and swept the younger man up in his arms, holding him close. "Thank Merlin you're alive." He whispered.

"And thank Merlin you've finally come back." Harry whispered so neither of the other two Slytherins could over-hear. "You're making up with Father, right now."

"Haryon, I hardly think..." Lucius began to protest but the white haired young man was having none of it. He pulled away from their embrace and went back over to the sofa, taking Severus' hands and making him get up onto his feet, (though he didn't really make the man do anything as he was far too weak to actually be able to pull him to his feet on his own).

"I think that whatever it was that went wrong between the two of you has gone on for long enough." Harry said firmly but with a smile as he led Severus further forward, closer to the eldest blonde. When the two men were facing each other, Harry released the Potion Master's hands and moved over to the blonde Veela who was watching everything with great amusement. "C'mon Draco," Harry murmured quietly as he took the Veela's hand and began to lead him over to the open portrait hole. "I think Father and Uncle Lucius could do with some time alone together."

Grinning from ear to ear, the two young men silently left the room, allowing the two older men the privacy to settle their argument and make up.

Harry and Draco, with nowhere specific to go then, simply wandered the corridors of the school for a while, simply enjoying each others company and just appreciating being close again. Without words the Luna Veela seemed to sense when his mate was tiring as he abruptly brought them to a stop just as Harry was thinking about asking if they could stop momentarily so he could rest. The place they happened to come to stop was right in front of the entrance into the school. The doors were wide open allowing them to see outside where the sky was just about turning and orangey-pink as the sun began its slow decent below the horizon.

They remained quiet, just listening to the breeze and the occasional bird call until, rather suddenly and without any prior warning that it was coming, Draco spoke in a murmured, completely calm and relaxed voice: "Shall we have the wedding this summer?"

"Of course." Harry replied calmly despite the beaming smiling white spread itself across his face, his eyes never straying from the scene before them.

The white haired young man felt the blonde shift slightly next to him then and he finally turned his attention away from the world outside and looked curiously to see what the Slytherin was up to. Draco was looking down at him with a gentle smile and a gaze filled with adoration and love. Harry returned his smile happily before leaning up enough to connect their lips in a soft, brief kiss. When they separated, the Gryffindor relaxed against the Slytherin's side again, resting his head against the other's shoulder. He felt a kiss being pressed to the top of his head and then a cheek coming to rest on the spot before they both fell into stillness.

They remained like that for countless minutes, simply staring out at the world, each with an arm around the other. Eventually though, their steady peace came to an end with a call of Harry's name from a familiar voice. The teenager in question looked over his shoulder at the sound and saw Hermione hurrying over to them. "Hi." He greeted her with a smile, making Draco turn so that he could look at the younger girl without having to continuously look over his shoulder.

"There you both are." Hermione said by way of greeting, sounding curiously relieved. "Fred and George said you were going to come up to the tower but you never turned up. We were all wondering what happened, there've been people looking around for ages."

"Oh, sorry, I was down in the dungeons, Father came back." Harry told her cheerfully.

"Really? Oh Harry, that's great news! Why aren't you still with him though?" She inquired curiously.

"My Father just got back, they're making up." Draco answered sounding rather disturbed by that thought.

"Oh, I see." Hermione mumbled with a blush before she quickly changed the subject. "If you've got nothing else to do then, do you want to come up? I'm sure everyone will love to see you again."

"What do you think Draco? Up to tolerating a whole room full of Gryffindors?" The white haired teenager asked the Slytherin with a teasing grin.

"If I must." The Veela sighed reluctantly but the small smirk on his lips revealed that he knew it wasn't going to be too much of a hardship as Harry would doubt make it worth his while at a later date.

A bright smile lit Harry's face up at the agreement and he gave the blonde's waist a squeeze before turning to Hermione."Lead the way then.

5th March 1996: Night

The day was almost over and, outside, the last few rays of light were sinking behind the horizon. Not that Harry, Draco, Severus or Lucius were aware of the world outside the Potion Master's personal rooms. They had stayed in there all afternoon and all evening and now, as the sun was setting and night was settling in, the high emotions of the day were starting to take their toll on them all and each one was rather exhausted. That being the case, it was unsurprising that three of the four men were now asleep.

Harry smiled to himself as he revelled in being surrounded by his family. All four of them were snuggled onto one three-seat sofa: Draco was in the left-hand corner, an arm curled around Harry's waist and his head leaning against the back of the sofa; Harry was slouched back against the Veela with his legs spread out across Severus and Lucius who took up the rest of the sofa, leaning on each other in their sleep. So Harry was left awake with the three sleeping Slytherins and he was perfectly fine with that. It was peaceful, it was calm and it was wonderful just to be able to be around them all again.

The horrible part of Harry's life was over now, there was no more Voldemort and so there was no more threat to any of them. It had been a hard life for him so far but it had been made so much easier due to the support of the Slytherins who had found him as a baby, abandoned and alone, and had welcomed him into their family with open arms and warm hearts. Finally, he could have a normal life, a peaceful life with his father, his godfather and his mate. He looked to them all and allowed his eyes to close happily, secure in the knowledge that he was surrounded by his family, the people who meant the most to him in the world.

THE END.


End file.
